My  Friend,  the  Captain; 


OR, 


TWO  YANKEES  IN  EUROPE. 


A  Descriptive  Story  of  a  Tour  of  Europe, 


WRITTEN   AND   COMPILED   BY 

WILLIAM  L  TERHUNE 


ILLUSTRATED. 


NEW    YORK: 

G.    W.  Dillingham   Co.,  Publishers. 

MUCCCXCVIII. 
[All  rights  reserved.] 


COPYRIGHT 

1898 
BY    W.    L.  TERHUNE. 


To  My  Dear  Friend, 

CAPT,  R,  B,  GROVER, 

who  was  my  companion  while  touring  Europe  during 

the  summer  of  1897,  I  affectionately 

dedicate  this  book. 


YVw  ^TA^c~vA| 


PREFACE 


The  pleasures  of  a  European  tour  cannot  be  realized  ex- 
cept by  actual  experience.  It  has  been  my  good  fortune 
to  visit,  at  different  times,  the  places  made  famous  in  his- 
tory and  story,  not  only  in  England,  Ireland  and  Scotland, 
but  nearly  all  of  Europe  west  of  the  Russian  Empire. 
Since  my  last  tour  I  have  been  asked  so  many  questions 
about  different  places  that,  in  an  unguarded  moment,  I 
decided  to  tell  the  story  in  book  form. 

This  account  is  given  in  the  order  the  tour  was  made.  It 
has  been  my  purpose  to  describe  as  minutely,  yet  as  briefly 
as  possible,  the  vast  pancrama  of  attractions  that  passed 
before  me  during  the  four  summer  months  of  1897. 

I  do  not  pose  as  a  historian,  but  repeat  some  interesting 
descriptions  of  places  and  things 'which  have  a  record  in 
the  past  and  about  which  all  lovers  of  history  like  to  read. 
The  descriptions  presented  here  were  gathered  by  me  from 
many  sources,  and  have  been  written  and  arranged  for 
the  information  of  the  reader  and  tourist. 


To  the  reader  who  has  visited  Europe,  this  book  will  be 
interesting  as  a  reminder  of  many  places  and  scenes  famil- 
iar to  him  or  her,  some  of  which  have,  no  doubt,  left  lasting 
impressions.  To  the  reader  who  contemplates  a  first  trip, 
this  will  serve  as  a  preparation,  while  to  the  reader  who 
never  has,  and  never  expects  to  cross  the  broad  Atlantic, 
this  may  serve  to  show,  in  a  measure,  what  exists  in  the 
Old  World. 

But,  the  Captain — my  dear  friend,  the  Captain!  He  is 
not  a  myth.  He  is  the  best,  kindest- hearted  and  jolliest 
of  living  mortals.  To  him,  and  to  him,  alone,  I  owe  the 
real  cause  for  writing  this  book.  He  was  my  companion, 
and  the  life  of  the  four  months  we  spent  abroad.  Long 
live  the  Captain. 

W.     Iy.     T. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  I. — Preparing  for  the  Trip, 9 

CHAPTER  II. — -How  to  Do  London  in  Two  Weeks, 20 

CHAPTER  III. — Some  Things  Seen  and  Heard  in  London,      .     .  34 

CHAPTER  IV. — Doing  Quaint  Old  Holland,      • 47 

CHAPTER  V. — Antwerp,  Brussels  and  Cologne, 59 

CHAPTER  VI. — A  Day  on  the  River  Rhine, 71 

CHAPTER  VII.— In  Fatherland, 87 

CHAPTER  VIII. — Nuremberg  and  Munich, 102 

CHAPTER  IX. — Our  First  Week  in  Switzerland, 118 

CHAPTER  X. — Adieu  to  the  Land  of  the  Swiss, 136 

CHAPTER  XI. — How  to  Do  Paris, 151 

CHAPTER  XII. — Still  Doing  Paris, 163 

CHAPTER  XIII. — Versailles  and  Fontainebleau, 176 

CHAPTER  XIV. — Last  Days  in  the  Gay  French  Capital,     .     .     .  191 

CHAPTER  XV. — Cambridge  and  Oxford, 201 

CHAPTER  XVI. — Windsor  Castle  and  Eton  College,       ....  220 

CHAPTER  XVII. — Stoke  Poges  and  Hampton  Court,      ....  235 

CHAPTER  XVIII. — The  Home  of  Shakespeare, 250 

CHAPTER  XIX. — Chester  and  Hawarden, 262 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 


PAGE 

W.  L.  Terhune         ........         Frontispiece 

My  Friend,  the  Captain  .         .         .         .         .         ..        Frontispiece 

The  Steamer  "  Majestic,"  in  which  we  made  our  trip           .         .  14 

The  Tower  of  London     .........  22 

Scene  on  High  Hoi  born,  London  .......  26 

Trafalgar  Square,  London       ........  30 

The  Nightingale  Tomb  in  Westminster  Abbey,  London        .         .  36 

The  Marble  Arch,  Hyde  Park,  London           .....  40 

The  Thames  Embankment,  London       .         .         .         .         .         .  44 

Typical  Scene  in  Holland        ........  48 

The  Little  Palace  in  the  Woods,  The  Hague          ....  50 

On  the  Beach  at  Scheveningen,  Holland        .....  52 

Rokin  Canal,  Amsterdam        ........  54 

Aehterbnrgwal — Old  Part  of  Amsterdam        .....  56 

Hotel  de  Ville,  Antwerp,  and  Statue  of  Brabo        ....  58 

Milk  Venders,  Antwerp           ........  60 

Palace  of  the  Count  of  Flanders,  Brussels      .....  62 

King's  Palace,  Brussels  .........  64 

Field  of  Waterloo,  Near  Brussels    .......  66 

Cathedral  at  Cologne 68 

Old  Castle  on  the  Rhine,  Near  Coblenz 72 

Rhiiicstein  Castle,  on  the  Rhine     .......  76 

Castle  and  Fortifications  on  the  Rhine            .....  80 

Old  Castle  on  the  Rhine,  Near  Bingen            .....  84 

Mosaic  Beds  in  the  Palm  Garden,  Frankfort          ....  88 

The  Palm  Garden,  Frankfort           .......  90 

The  Conservatory,  Palm  Garden,  Frankfort           ....  92 

The  Old  Castle,  Heidelberg 94 

Students  Fencing  at  Heidelberg     .......  96 

Heidelberg  University     .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .98 

The  Great  Wine  Cask,  Heidelberg 100 

Maximilian  Palace  from  the  River  Isra,  Nuremberg     .         .  104 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


PAGE 


Five  Cornered  Tower,  Nuremberg  ......     106 

Karlsbridge,  with  St.  Sebolds  Church,  Nuremberg        .         .         .     no 
Hangman's  Bridge,  Nuremberg      .         .         .         .         .         .         .112 

Ludwigstrasse,  Munich  .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .114 

The  Royal  Palace,  Munich      .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .116 

Zurich  from  the  Lake      .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .  1 20 

Lucerne  and  the  Alps      .         .        .         .         .        .         .         .        .122 

The  Lion  in  the  Rock,  Lucerne 1 24 

Rigi-Kulm  Railway,  Near  Lucerne 126 

The  Jungfrau  from  Interlaken         .         .         .         .         .         .         .128 

The  Snow-Clad  Jungfrau         ........     130 

Staubbach  Falls  at  Lauterbrunnen          .         .         .         .         .         .132 

Brunig  Pass  and  Railway         .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .134 

General  View  of  Berne 138 

The  Bear  Pit  at  Berne 140 

Castle  of  Chillon,  Dent-du-Midi  in  the  Distance    .         .         .         .142 

The  Prison  in  Castle  Chillon 144 

Chamounix,  with  a  View  of  Mont  Blanc        .....     146 

The  Captain  and  His  Mule 148 

View  of  Geneva  from  the  Lake       .         .         .         .         .         .         .150 

Notre  Dame,  Paris  .....'....     154 

Champs  Elysees,  Paris    .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .156 

Avenue  de  1' Opera,  Looking  Toward  the  Opera  House,  Paris       .     158 
The  Trocadero  and  Bridge,  Paris    .         .         .         .         .         .         .160 

Garden  of  the  Tuileries,  Paris 164 

Tomb  of  Napoleon,  Hotel  des  Invalides,  Paris       ....     168 

Interior  of  Grand  Opera  House,  Paris    ......     172 

The  Pantheon,  Paris        .........     174 

Palace  at  Versailles,  Near  Paris 178 

The  Great  Fountain  at  Versailles  .......     182 

Palace  at  Fontainebleau,  Near  Paris       .         .         .         .         .         .184 

Gallery  in  the  Palace  at  Fontainebleau  .....     188 

Bois  de  Boulogne,  Paris  .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .194 

Room  in  the  Cluny  Museum,  Paris         ......     198 

Clare  College  Bridge,  Cambridge,  England  .....     202 

Bridge  of  Sighs,  St.  John's  College,  Cambridge,  England    .         .     206 
King's    Gateway,    Entrance    to    Trinity    College,    Cambridge, 

England 208 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS.  Vll 

PAGE 

General  View  of  Oxford,  England          ......  210 

King's  College,  Cambridge,  England     ......  212 

New  College,  Cloister  and  Tower,  Oxford,  England  .  .  .214 

Entrance  to  Wadham  College,  Oxford,  England  .  .  .  218 

Windsor  Castle,  East  Terrace 222 

Windsor  Castle,  Norman  Gateway          ......  224 

Windsor  Castle,  North  Terrace       .......  228 

Windsor  Castle,  Round  Tower  .......  230 

Eton  College,  Eton,  England 232 

Church  and  Churchyard,  Stoke  Poges,  England  ....  236 

West  Front,  Wolsey  Palace,  Hampton  Court,  England  .  .  238 

The  Great  Hall,  Hampton  Court,  England 242 

Entrance  to  Pond  Garden,  Hampton  Court,  England  .  .  .  246 

Anne  Boleyn's  Gateway,  Hampton  Court,  England  .  .  .  248 
House  in  Which  Shakespeare  Was  Born,  Stratford-on-Avon, 

England 252 

Interior  of  Holy  Trinity  Church,  Stratford-on-Avon,  England  .  254 
Room  in  Which  Shakespeare  Was  Born,  Stratford-on-Avon, 

England 258 

Anne  Hathaway's  Cottage,  Shottery,  Near  Stratford-on-Avon, 

England  ...........  260 

Typical  Street  View,  Chester,  England 264 

Water  Tower  and  Walls,  Chester,  England 266 

Eaton  Hall,  Chester,  England 270 

Rt.  Hon.  William  E.  Gladstone 272 

Hawarden  Castle,  the  Gladstone  Residence  .....  274 
"The  Keep."  Ruins  of  the  Old  Castle  at  Hawarden  .  .  .276 


MY  FRIEND,  THE  CAPTAIN ; 


OR, 


Two  Yankees  in  Europe. 


CHAPTER  I. 
Preparing  for  the  Trip, 

IT  WAS  on  a  beautiful  summer  night  in  August,  1896,  that  I  was 
seated  with  a  group  of  gentlemen  on  the  broad  piazza  of  the  Deer 
Park  Hotel,  North  Woodstock,  N.  H.,  which  is  situated  at  the 
opening  of  the  Franconia  Notch  in  one  of  the  most  beautiful 
spots  of  the  White  Mountain  districts.  Our  conversation  had  been  on 
Europe,  and  the  members  of  the  party  who  had  been  abroad,  in  which 
I  found  myself  one  of  the  number,  had  been  entertaining  each  other 
with  our  impressions  of  the  other  side.  I  must  admit  that  some  of 
the  experiences  related  by  the  members  of  the  party,  not  including 
my  own,  were  rather  interesting  to  those  who  had  never  crossed  the 
broad  Atlantic,  but  to  none  more  so  than  my  friend,  the  Captain,  who, 
after  hearing  an  account  of  a  visit  to  the  Palace  at  Munich,  jumped  to 
his  feet  and  remarked  : 

"I'll  wager  the  best  box  of  cigars  I  can  buy  that  there  is  not  a 
member  of  this  company  who  will  guarantee  to  make  a  tour  of  Europe 
with  me  next  summer. ' ' 

I  immediately  accepted  the  wager. 

The  Captain  was  a  well  known  shoe  manufacturer.  He  had  com- 
menced in  life  a  poor  man,  but  had  built  up  a  great  business  which 
brought  him  prosperity.  I  had  known  him  for  years,  and  a  more 
jovial  or  better  hearted  man  did  not  live  in  New  England.  The 
Captain  was  original,  and  would  cause  more  fun  to  the  square  inch 
than  anyone  I  ever  knew  ;  therefore,  when  I  accepted  his  offer,  he 
turned  to  me  and  remarked  : 


10  MY   FRIEND,    THE   CAPTAIN  ; 

' '  You  have  toured  Europe  before  ?  ' ' 

"I  have." 

"  You  want  to  go  again  ? ' ' 

"I  do." 

"You're  willing  to  go  next  year  and  put  in  four  months  ?  " 

"  I  am." 

"Well,"  concluded  the  Captain,  "if  you  go  I'll  give  you  two 
boxes  of  cigars.  You  are  authorized  by  me  to  make  all  the  arrange- 
ments." 

That  night  I  happened  to  be  up  later  than  usual,  and  from  tne 
window  of  the  smoking  room  where  I  was  sitting  I  imagined  I  heard 
strange  talk  on  the  piazza  ;  so  glancing  through  the  curtains  I  found 
the  Captain  seated  under  a  gaslight,  and  in  his  hands  he  had  a  little 
book  which  he  was  deeply  interested  in,  and  from  which  he  was  quot- 
ing, something  like  this : 

"  Parlez — Parlez — Parlez  vous — Parlez  vous  Francaise  ?  " 

I  became  interested  and,  walking  out  on  the  piazza.,  approached 
the  Captain  and  asked  him  what  he  was  doing. 

"  I  am  studying  up  French,"  was  the  only  reply  he  made,  as  he 
again  glanced  at  his  book.  This  was  enough  for  me,  and  I  left  the 
Captain  to  enjoy  the  work  he  had  entered  on. 

So,  by  the  Captain's  order,  I  commenced  preparations  for  our  trip, 
and  early  the  next  March  I  engaged  accommodations  on  that  magnifi- 
cent steamship,  the  Majestic,  sailing  from  New  York  on  Wednesday, 
June  2. 

Little  did  I  know  what  was  in  store  for  me  in  the  weeks  and  months 
to  come.  I  loved  travel,  and  I  was  looking  forward  to  the  time 
when  I  would  have  the  Captain  as  a  companion,  little  dreaming  that 
the  Captain  was  to  start  on  this  trip  with  the  intention  of  seeing  and 
knowing  the  country,  regardless  of  all  consequences. 

Leaving  New  York  per  steamship  Majestic,  we  sailed  down  the 
harbor  on  a  beautiful  June  day,  and  when  the  shades  of  night  fell 
over  us  we  were  far  from  sight  of  land  in  a  calm,  peaceful  sea.  The 
trip  was  made  without  "  inconvenience  "  to  our  party,  yet  the  Captain 
insists  he  never  saw  a  worse  specimen  of  humanity  than  he  beheld  in 
the  writer  on  the  Sunday  morning  after  our  departure  ;  but  this  I 
brand  as  false.  The  Captain  was  not  responsible  for  what  he  saw  that 
morning,  and  I  was. 


OR,    TWO   YANKEES   IN   EUROPE.  II 

In  preparing  for  a  European  trip  one  must  bear  in  mind  that  the 
weather  on  the  other  side  is  variable,  consequently  he  must  travel 
with  both  heavy  and  light  clothing,  including  a  suit  for  steamer  wear 
that  must  be  heavy,  one  that  has  seen  service  will  answer  the  purpose. 
Passports  are  not  obligatory,  but  it  is  advisable  to  be  provided  with 
one.  It  is  useful  as  a  means  of  identification,  viewing  public  build- 
ings, etc. 

The  arrangements  for  money  while  abroad  can  be  easily  adjusted. 
If  one  is  traveling  considerably  a  Letter  of  Credit  for  anything 
over  $500  is  preferable,  and  for  smaller  sums  American  Express 
money  orders  answer  the  same  purpose.  For  a  residence  of  some 
weeks  in  a  city,  your  letter  of  credit  will  answer  the  purpose.  A 
small  amount  of  English,  French  and  German  currency  should  be 
carried  for  use  on  the  respective  steamers  and  on  landing  in  the 
countries. 

A  steamer  trunk  to  take  in  your  stateroom  is  a  necessity,  and  must 
not  be  over  fourteen  or  fifteen  inches  deep.  This  must  be  marked 
with  the  number  of  your  room  or  it  will  go  in  the  hold.  After  the 
steamer  leaves  the  Jock  you  must  apply  to  the  second  steward  in  the 
dining  room,  who  will  allot  you  your  seat  at  the  table.  Every  steamer 
has  an  experienced  surgeon  on  board,  and  in  case  you  use  his  services 
a  reasonable  fee  is  expected.  The  other  fees  required  are  as  follows  : 
Bedroom  and  table  steward,  ten  shillings  or  12.50.  "  Boots,"  two  and 
six  or  sixty  cents,  and  the  deck  steward  about  three  shillings,  seventy- 
five  cents,  while  a  small  fee  of  two  shillings,  fifty  cents,  is  usually 
given  the  smoke  room  and  the  toilet  room  steward.  There  is  always 
a  good  barber,  who  will  give  you  a  shave  for  a  shilling,  twenty-five 
cents. 

Our  departure  from  New  York  on  our  trip  outward  was  made  at  12 
o'clock,  and  at  1.30  lunch  was  served.  When  the  signal  was  given 
the  Captain  approached  me  and  remarked  that  he  was  rather  anxious 
to  go  to  the  dining  room.  Supposing  he  was  in  good  condition  for  a 
hearty  meal,  I  accompanied  him  and  sat  down  beside  him.  Taking 
up  the  bill  of  fare,  the  Captain  looked  at  it  for  a  moment  and  threw 
it  down  in  disgust. 

' '  What  is  the  matter,  Captain  ?  "  I  asked. 

"  Why,"  was  his  reply,  "  I  thought  we  were  going  to  have  a  table 
dee  hotey  dinner." 

"  We  have  a  table  d'hote  at  6.30  tonight, "  was  my  reply. 


12  MY    FRIEND,    THE   CAPTAIN  ; 

"  Well,"  returned  the  Captain,  "that  may  suit  you  and  the  rest  of 
these  foreigners,  but  so  far  as  I  am  concerned,  when  it  conies  night- 
time I  want  my  tea." 

Nearly  all  the  modern  steamers  are  fitted  with  a  library,  containing 
all  that  is  choice  in  biography,  novel  or  fiction.  The  books  are  in 
charge  of  a  steward,  who  delivers  them  to  the  passengers,  taking  a 
receipt  therefor,  to  be  returned  before  the  end  of  the  voyage. 

The  points  of  the  compass  may  be  determined  by  the  aid  of  an 
ordinary  watch.  It  is  simply  necessary  to  bring  the  watch  in  a  posi- 
tion so  that  the  hour  hand  is  directed  toward  the  sun.  The  south 
then  lies  exactly  midway  between  whatever  hour  it  may  happen  to  be 
and  the  numeral  XII.  on  the  dial.  Let  us  suppose,  for  instance,  that 
it  is  4  o'clock,  and  that  the  time-piece  is  held  in  the  position  indi- 
cated. The  direction  of  the  numeral  II.  will  then  be  the  exact  south. 
If  it  is  8  o'clock  the  numeral  X.  will  indicate  the  exact  southerly 
point. 

In  the  matter  of  railroad  traveling  there  are,  in  most  countries, 
three  classes  of  carriages.  The  first-class  is  usually  furnished  with 
plush  ;  second-class  carriages  are  furnished  almost  as  well.  Second- 
class  in  Germany  is  as  comfortable  as  first-class  in  England,  France 
and  Italy  ;  and  this  is  so  well  understood,  that  mixed  tickets  are 
sold  for  long  journeys  entitling  the  holder  to  first-class  in  other 
countries  and  second-class  in  Germany.  In  England  third-class 
coaches  are  comfortable.  This  class  is  frequented  by  the  general 
public  for  short  journeys.  Nearly  every  train  has  compartments 
exclusively  for  ladies.  In  England,  France  and  Italy,  smoking  is 
forbidden,  except  in  compartments  specially  designated  for  that  pur- 
pose. 

The  allowance  of  baggage  or  luggage  differs.  In  England  it  is  one 
hundred  pounds ;  in  most  continental  countries  it  averages  fifty 
pounds ;  in  Bavaria,  Belgium,  Italy,  and  in  most  parts  of  Switzerland 
there  is  no  allowance.  The  charge  for  excessive  luggage  is  high  ; 
all  hand  baggage  is  free.  The  system  of  checking  baggage  is  un- 
known abroad. 

The  most  desirable  seasons  for  visiting  the  various  resorts  of 
Europe  are  well  known  to  the  old  traveler,  but  the  methods  for 
reaching  them  are  continually  improving.  The  new  Mediterranean 
service,  which  has  become  so  popular  for  winter  travel,  has  made  a 
direct  communication  between  the  United  States  and  Spain,  Italy 


OR,   TWO   YANKEES  IN   EUROPE.  13 

and  Egypt.  These  trips  make  a  pleasant  vacation  of  six  weeks 
during  the  winter  season  and  include  all  points  of  interest  in  the 
Mediterranean  countries.  The  North  Cape  and  Land  of  the  Midnight 
Sun  has  also  been  brought  in  direct  communication  with  the  United 
States  by  special  excursion  steamers  sailing  in  June  and  July,  and 
touching  all  ports  of  interest  in  Norway  and  Sweden.  Switzerland, 
reached  via  France  or  Germany,  is  visited  principally  during  June, 
July,  August  and  September.  The  London  season  is  at  its  height  in 
May  and  June,  and  Scotland  is  sought  for  its  shooting  in  the  fall  of 
the  year.  Paris  has  no  stated  season  for  travelers,  all  months  being 
popular  at  this  capital.  The  latter  points  are  reached  directly  by 
steamers ;  London  via  Liverpool  and  Southampton  ;  Scotland  via 
Glasgow  and  Edinburgh  ;  and  Paris  via  Havre,  Coulogne  sur-Mer 
and  Antwerp. 

It  is  the  custom  in  England  and  among  the  English  servants  and 
others  to  speak  of  their  superior  or  employer  as  the  "  Guv' nor, "  the 
same  as  we  speak  of  such  as  the  ' '  Boss. ' '  The  second  day  out  from 
New  York,  the  Captain  and  I  were  enjoying  a  cigar  in  the  smoking 
room,  after  our  dinner,  when  the  steward  approached  us  and 
addressing  the  Captain,  remarked  : 

"  Guv'nor,  will  you  have  some  coffee?  " 

The  Captain  dropped  his  cigar  on  the  floor  and  stared  at  the  man 
for  an  instant,  and  after  the  steward  had  supplied  him  with  his 
coffee  and  passed  on,  the  Captain  nudged  me  and  in  great  glee 
remarked : 

' '  Did  you  hear  that  ? ' ' 

"Hear  what?"  I  remarked. 

"  Why,  that  fellow  takes  me  for  the  Governor  of  Massachusetts,"  , 
and  then  the  Captain  leaned  back  in  his  easy  chair  and  smoked  three 
cigars  before  retiring  to  his  state-room. 

The  following  is  a  table  showing  the  value  of  English  money  in 
American  coin  : 

GOU>.  SILVER. 

One  sovereign,  ....  $4.86  Crown,  55., $1.20 

One-half  sovereign,  .  .  2.43  One-half  crown,  as.  6d.,  .  .60 

One  florin,  2s., 48 

BANK  NOTES.  One  shilling 24  ' 

Six  pence, 12 

£5  Bank  of  England,  .  .  24.30  Four  pence 08 

£i  Irish  and  Scotch,  .  .  4.86  Three  pence, 06 


a 
"5 


OR,    TWO   YANKEES  IN   EUROPE. 


Here  is  a  table  of  French  money  : 

5  centimes,  i  sou, equal  to  $  .01 

50  centimes,  10  sous — one-half  franc,  .     .     . 
100  centimes,  20  sous — one  franc,       .... 

5  franc  piece,  gold  or  silver, 

10  franc  piece,  gold  or  silver 

20  franc  piece,  gold  or  silver, 


.10 

.20 

I. oo 

2.00 

4.00 


German  money  is  Americanized  as  follows  : 

5  pfennigs, equal  to 

10  pfennigs,       

20  pfennigs,       

50  pfennigs  or  one-half  mark, 

i  mark, 

3  marks  or  I  thaler, 

10  marks 

20  marks, 


(5  .01 
.02 
•05 

.12 

I3 
.69 

2-37 

4-74 


Cab  fares  in  Europe  are  low. 
in  London  : 


The  following  are  the  rates  charged 


BY  DISTANCE — Hansom  or  ' '  four  wheeler, ' '  the  same.  First  two 
miles,  is.;  for  every  additional  mile,  6d.  For  each  fifteen  minutes' 
waiting  en  route,  6d. 

BY  TIME — Hansom  ( two- wheeler )  2s.,  6d.  per  hour.  Cab  (four- 
wheeler),  2s.  per  hour. 

EXTRA — Each  article  of  baggage  outside,  2d.  additional.  More 
than  two  persons,  6d.  each  additional. 

Paris  rates  are  as  follows  : 

VoiTURES  DE  PtACE — Hired  in  the  street. 

PER  COURSE — Any  distance  inside  the  gates. 

Two-seated  voiture,  per  course,    ....     i  franc,  50  centimes,  $.  30 
Four-seated  voiture,  per  course,   ....     2  francs,  .40 


PER   HOUR. 


Two-seated  voiture,  by  the  hour, 
Four-seated  voiture,  by  the  hour, 


2  francs,  $-4° 

2  francs,  50  centimes,     .50 


We  are  supposed  to  speak  the  same  language  as  our  English 
cousins.  This  to  a  great  extent  is  true,  but  it  is  also  true  that  those 
proud  and  patriotic  citizens  who  believe  that  they  speak  "United 
States"  have  some  amount  of  reason  for  their  belief.  It  is  certainly 
a  fact  that  many  important  differences  now  exist  between  the 


l6  MY   FRIEND,   THE  CAPTAIN  ; 

English  spoken  in  America  and  the  English  spoken  in  the  United 
Kingdom.  These  differences  in  phraseology  are  oftentimes  the  cause 
of  much  trouble  and  annoyance  to  American  travelers,  because  many 
terms  which  are  peculiarly  American  are  unknown  to  the  average 
Englishman.  A  common  experience,  by  way  of  illustration,  is  that 
of  the  American  who  wanders  about  the  streets  of  London,  inquiring 
the  way  to  the  nearest  "railroad  depot,"  and  usually  fails  to  find  the 
object  of  his  search.  What  he  wants,  of  course,  is  the  "railway 
station."  It  is  also  an  everyday  experience  for  American  ladies  to 
enter  English  shops  and  ask  for  articles  of  merchandise  which,  to 
their  surprise,  they  find  are  things  unheard  of.  The  trouble  is  that 
they  employ  the  American  instead  of  the  English  descriptive  titles 
and  these  are  not  generally  known.  These  might  be  illustrated 
extensively,  but  enough  has  been  said  to  show  that  a  vast  amount  of 
inconvenience  may  be  avoided  by  the  American  traveler  who  has 
placed  at  his  disposal  a  list  of  these  puzzling  differences  in  language, 
in  order  that  he  may  know  how  to  speak  English  so  as  to  be  under- 
stood by  English  people  of  every  class.  It  is  with  this  object  in 
view  that  the  following  list  of  varying  familiar  phrases  has  been 
compiled  : 

AMERICAN.  ENGLISH. 

The  railroad.  The  railway. 

The  station  agent.  The  station  master. 

The  telegraph  operator.  The  telegraph  clerk, 

(pronounced  "  clark"). 

The  sleeper.  The  Pullman. 

The  depot.  The  railway  station. 

The  smoking  car.  The  smoking  carriage. 

The  cars  or  train.  The  carriages  or  train. 

The  ticket  office.  The  booking  office. 

The  section  of  a  car.  The  compartment  of  a  carriage. 

Changing  cars.  Changing  carriages. 

The  conductor.  The  guard. 

The  locomotive  engineer.  The  engine  driver. 

The  track.  The  line. 

The  switch.  The  points. 

The  switchman.  The  pointsman. 

The  braketnan.  The  porter. 

The  elevated  railroad.  The  overhead  railway. 

Checking  baggage.  Registering  luggage. 

The  baggage.  The  luggage. 


OR,   TWO  YANKEES  IN   EUROPE.  17 

The  baggage  room.  The  luggage  booking-office. 

The  trunk.  (Sometimes)  the  box. 

The  valise,  satchel  or  "  grip."  The  bag  or  portmanteau. 

Cloak-room  or  parcel  office.  Left-luggage  office  or  cloak-room. 

The  hack.  The  cab. 

The  street  car.  The  tram  or  tramway. 

A  buggy  or  light  carriage.  A  trap. 

Such  well-known  American  dishes  as  pork  and  beans,  fishballs, 
American  pies,  cookies,  crullers,  buckwheat  cakes,  and  sweet  corn 
can  be  obtained  at  only  a  few  restaurants  in  London.  In  nearly  all 
restaurants  these  Yankee  dishes  are  almost  unknown.  It  should  also 
be  added  that  barley,  wheat,  etc.,  in  England,  are  often  referred  to  as 
"corn,"  while  corn,  in  the  American  sense,  is  always  spoken  of  as 
"Indian  corn, "  or  '  'maize, "  and  can  be  obtained  only  in  the  dried  state. 

In  Europe,  "dessert"  applies  to  only  the  fruit  portion  of  the 
menu.  Pudding  and  other  dishes  of  the  kind  are  referred  to  as 
"sweets."  The  word  "pastry"  refers  to  all  kinds  of  cakes,  puffs, 
tarts,  etc.  A  visit  to  Low's  Exchange  on  Northumberland  avenue 
will  be  of  benefit  to  all  American  tourists. 

The  American  pie  is  unknown  in  Europe,  but  the  Captain  did  not 
know  this.  The  day  before  our  arrival  at  Liverpool,  after  finishing 
his  dinner,  the  Captain  called  his  dining-room  steward  and  addressing 
him  as  ' '  waiter,"  ordered  a  piece  of  pie.  The  steward  looked  at  him 
for  a  moment  and  replied  : 

"  Pie,  pie,  what  kind  of  pie,  sir  ?  " 

The  Captain's  reply  was  that  "Apple  would  do,"  but  .he  was 
rather  taken  back  when  the  steward  informed  him  that  there  was 
only  ham  or  meat  pie.  Consequently  I  had  to  explain  to  him  the 
situation  of  affairs,  and  after  I  had  explained  it  to  him  the  Captain 
turned  to  me  and  remarked  : 

"  No  pies  in  Europe  !     What  a  blasted  country  it  must  be." 

Although  the  Captain  got  the  English  phrase  "blasted  "  he  did 
not  get  his  American  pie. 

AMERICAN.  ENGLISH. 

A  list  of  charges  at  restaurants 

or  hotels.  A  tariff. 

Tenderloin  steak.  Fillet  steak. 

Round  steak.  Buttock  steak. 

First  cut  of  the  roast.  Wing  rib. 

A  chicken.  A  fowl. 


l8  MY   FRIEND,    THE   CAPTAIN  ; 


Sguash.  Vegetable  marrow. 

Lima  beans.  Broad  beans. 

Pulverized  sugar.  Icing  sugar. 

String  beans.  French  beans. 

ON  THE  STREET.  IN  THE  STREET. 

The  sidewalk.  The  pavement. 

A  block.  A  turning. 

The  word  "  block  "  is  not  used  in  England  to  designate  distance. 
An  American  would  say,  "About  four  blocks  from  here."  An 
Englishman  would  say,  "The  fourth  turning  from  here,"  when  direct- 
ing a  person. 

AMERICAN.  ENGLISH. 

Shoes  (ladies'  or  gentlemen's).         Boots. 

Men's  high  boots.  Top  boots. 

Half  or  low  shoes.  Shoes. 

Gaiters.  Elastic-side  boots. 

Rubbers.  Goloshes. 

A  Prince  Albert.  A  frock  coat. 

A  cut-away.  A  morning  coat. 

A  vest.  A  waistcoat. 

L,eggins.  Gaiters. 

A  Derby  hat.  A  felt  hat  or  "  bowler." 

Names  of  stores  and  merchandise  : 

AMERICAN.  ENGLISH. 

Dress  waist.  Body  or  bodice. 

A  store.  A  shop. 

A  notion  store.  A  haberdasher's. 

Notions.  Haberdashery. 

A  drug  store.  A  chemist's. 

A  candy  store.  A  confectioner's  or  sweet  shop. 

Candy  or  bon-bons.  Sweets. 

A  clerk  or  salesman.  A  shopman. 

A  saleslady.  A  shop  girl. 

A  floor  walker.  A  shop  walker. 

The  dry  goods  store.  The  linen  draper's  shop. 

A  spool  of  thread.  A  reel  of  cotton. 

India  muslin.  Book  muslin. 

Muslin.  Calico  or  long  cloth. 

Calico.  Print. 

A  veil.  A  veil  or  fall. 

Swiss.  Muslin. 


OR,   TWO  YANKEES  IN  EUROPE.  19 

The  foregoing  may  be  rather  uninteresting  to  most  of  the  readers 
of  this  book,  but  there  may  be  some  points  of  interest  for  those  who 
are  contemplating  a  first  trip  to  Europe. 

Here  is  a  little  incident  I  almost  forgot  to  mention.  Immediately 
upon  arrival  in  Liverpool  I  noticed  the  Captain  was  very  anxious  to 
be  one  of  the  first  to  go  down  the  gang  plank.  I  followed  closely 
after,  and  on  reaching  the  landing  stage  found  the  Captain  busily 
writing  a  telegram  at  the  telegraph  office.  Glancing  over  his 
shoulders,  I  was  surprised  to  read  the  following  : 

LIVERPOOL,  June  9,    1897. 

PRINCE  OF  WALES,  Marlborough  House,  London: 
Just  arrived.     Will  stop  at  the  Langham. 

(Signed)         THE    CAPTAIN. 

Hardly  knowing  whether  I  was  in  Liverpool  or  New  York,  I 
asked  the  Captain  what  his  intention  was  in  writing  such  a  telegram. 

•'Why,"  was  his  reply,  "  I  am  going  to  send  it  to  the  Prince  of 
Wales." 

"  For  what  reason  ?  "  I  asked. 

"To  let  him  know  we  have  arrived,"  was  his  reply.  "  If  there  is 
anything  going  on  in  London  we  want  to  be  in  it,  and  if  there  is  any 
man  that  can  help  us,  it  is  the  Prince." 

The  last  I  saw  of  the  Captain  he  was  paying  gd.  for  the  telegram 
and  I  was  contemplating  whether  to  go  back  to  the  United  States  or 
continue  my  trip. 


20  MY  FRIEND,  THE;  CAPTAIN  ; 


CHAPTER  II. 
How  To  Do  London  in  Two  Weeks. 

FEW  days  after  my  arrival  in  London  I  received  a  letter 
from  one  of  my  friends  in  Boston,  in  which  he  asked  me 
how  I  got  along  with  the  Captain,  and  if  I  was  fully 
satisfied  with  him  as  a  traveling  companion.  It  brought  to 
my  mind  an  old  story  which  I  heard  years  ago,  of  a  German  whose 
wife  had  died.  Shortly  after  the  last  sad  rites,  Hans  met  a  friend  on 
the  street,  who  condoled  with  him  and  asked  if  his  wife  was  resigned. 

"  Vot's  dat  ?  "  said  Hans. 

' '  Was  your  wife  resigned  ?  ' ' 

"  Resigned,  resigned,  mine  Gott,  she  had  to  pe  !  " 

So  with  myself ,  I  had  no  choice.     I  had  to  be. 

Take  my  advice  and  go  to  Europe,  if  you  have  to  go  over  in  the 
steerage.  Why  ?  Because  you  will  return  to  your  homes  better  and 
more  patriotic  citizens.  Better,  because  you  will  realize  that  you  live 
in  the  greatest  country  upon  which  the  sun  shines.  More  patriotic, 
because  you  will  get  an  additional  strain  in  that  direction  here. 
Englishmen  are  all  patriotic.  I  am  glad  to  see  it,  and  yet  I  met  many 
who  were  almost  as  loud  in  their  praise  of  America  as  a  native  would 
have  been. 

It  is  quite  a  feat  to  do  London  and  do  it  thoroughly  in  a  short 
space  of  time,  therefore  it  is  my  purpose  to  tell  you  how  much  of 
London  one  might  see  in  a  two  weeks'  stay  there. 

First,  on  arriving  in  London,  there  are  three  things  to  remember. 
The  average  cost  for  three  meals  and  bedroom  at  a  first-class  hotel  is 
$4  to  $5  per  day  ;  hotel  accommodations  can  be  secured  as  low 
as  $2.50  to  $3  per  day,  but  they  are  not  generally  satisfactory  to  one 
who  is  particular  and  used  to  good  living.  Pensions  or  boarding 
houses  are  to  be  found  in  all  sections.  Good  accommodations  can  be 
secured  from  £7. 50  to  |io  per  week,  including  room,  breakfast  and 
dinner.  Restaurants  abound  wherever  you  go.  In  fact,  there  are 


OR,   TWO  YANKEES  IN   EUROPE^  2t 

more  restaurants,  cigar,  hair  and  jewelry  stores  than  any  other  lines. 
A  first-class  restaurant  is  as  expensive  as  the  same  class  in  New  York, 
Boston,  or  any  other  of  our  large  cities.  For  instance,  a  cup  of  tea 
or  coffee  costs  from  twelve  to  twenty -five  cents,  a  dozen  raw  oysters 
from  fifty  cents  to  $i,  and  every  other  item  in  like  proportion. 

The  shops  or  stores  of  London,  Paris,  or  any  other  of  the  conti- 
nental cities  will  not  compare  for  elegance  and  fine  window  displays 
with  those  of  the  large  American  cities.  A  cab  can  be  hired  to  carry 
one  or  two  persons  any  reasonable  distance  (two  miles  is  the  limit)  for 
twenty-five  cents  for  the  two.  Buses  or  stages  are  the  most  popular  for 
city  transit.  One  advantage  they  possess  is  the  seating  capacity  on 
top,  where  a  fine  view  can  be  had  during  the  trip.  Prices  vary  from 
two  cents  upward  per  ride.  To  a  person  going  a  short  distance  this  is 
an  advantage,  but  for  a  three,  four  or  five-mile  ride  they  are  more 
expensive  then  our  electric  cars.  A  good  seat  at  the  theater  costs 
$2.50.  An  ordinary  telegram  costs  twelve  cents. 

The  day  after  we  arrived  in  London  we  took  a  ride  down  town,  got 
off  at  the  Bank  of  England,  and  were  strolling  along,  when  the  Cap- 
tain nudged  me  as  we  came  to  a  street  corner.  "  Step  around  here," 
was  all  he  said.  Not  knowing  what  was  coming  I  obeyed,  and  as 
soon  as  the  street  was  clear,  the  captain  looked  at  me,  and  asking  me 
to  "join  in  the  chorus,"  started  off  with  the  "Star  Spangled  Ban- 
ner." After  considerable  effort  I  got  him  to  move  on. 

Now  let  me  outline  a  two  weeks'  stay  in  London,  supposing  one 
does  not  care  to  do  it  with  a  rush,  but  see  the  principal  sights  and  at 
the  same  time  enjoy  a  restful  period  between. 

First  Day — We  will  suppose  you  are  at  the  West  End.  Take  a 
bus  at  Oxford  circus,  secure  a  seat  on  top  and  go  down  Regent  street, 
passing  many  of  the  best  stores,  to  Piccadilly  circus  (a  circus  is  a 
square),  thence  to  Trafalgar  sqiiare.  Here  in  the  center  is  the  monu- 
ment erected  to  Nelson,  on  the  left  is  the  National  Art  Gallery  and  St. 
Martin's  Church  ;  to  the  right  is  Whitehall  street,  leading  to  the 
Horse  Guards,  Westminster  Abbey  and  the  Houses  of  Parliament,  also 
Northumberland  avenue  leading  to  Victoria  embankment,  and  con- 
taining the  three  great  hotels — the  Metropole,  Victoria  and  Grand. 
From  here  we  pass  down  the  Strand.  On  the  left  below  the  square  is 
the  Charing  Cross  station,  and  further  down  the  division  line 
between  old  London  and  the  new.  On  the  left,  as  you  come  to 


P 


OR,    TWO   YANKEES   IN   EUROPE.  23 

Chancery  lane,  is  the  Law  Courts,  or  Court  House,  and  then  the 
Strand  is  continued  as  Fleet  street,  the  "  newspaper  row  "  of  London. 
From  Fleet  street  you  pass  to  Ludgate  circus,  off  which  is  Blackfriar's 
bridge  ;  thence  through  Ludgate  Hill,  passing  St.  Paul's,  through 
Cannon  street  to  Queen  street  and  Poultry,  where  stands  the  Mansion 
House,  the  home  of  the  Lord  Mayor,  and  opposite  the  Bank  of  Eng- 
land and  the  Royal  Exchange.  The  tour  can  be  continued  through 
Whitechapel,  the  poor  district  of  London,  and  the  scene  of  "  Jack  the 
Ripper's"  outrages.  Returning,  you  pass  through  Cheapside,  on 
which  is  located  Bow  Church,  from  whence  ring  Bow-bells.  It  is  said 
that  all  persons  who  are  born  within  the  sound  of  Bow-bells  are  Cock- 
neys, or  true  Londoners. 

Off  Cheapside  is  the  Guild  Hall,  and  as  you  pass  out  of  this  street 
you  go  through  Newgate,  passing  the  general  post  office  and  Newgate 
Prison,  with  Old  Bailey  on  the  left.  This  was  once  the  principal 
prison  of  London,  and  in  its  day  such  famous  men  as  William  Penn, 
Daniel  Defoe  and  Jack  Sheppard  were  confined  within  its  walls. 
Criminals  condemned  to  death  are  still  hanged  here.  Newgate  was 
built  in  1780.  At  68  Old  Bailey  was  the  former  home  of  Jonathan 
Wild.  Passing  from  Newgate  you  go  through  Holborn  Viaduct, 
where  is  located  Dr.  Parker's  church,  and  then  pass  into  New  Oxford 
and  Oxford  street,  through  a  busy  shipping  center,  to  your  place  of 
departure.  Such  a  trip  will  consume  one  morning,  and  the  afternoon 
can  be  spent  in  one  of  the  many  parks. 

At  the  hotel  where  we  stopped  in  the  early  part  of  June  were  some 
of  the  finest  strawberries  I  ever  saw.  They  ware  not  served  as  a  des- 
sert the  first  day,  so  when  we  were  finishing  gur  lunch  the  second  day 
the  captain  called  the  waiter  and  told  him  to  bring  on  some  straw- 
berries. The  servant  disappeared  and  soon  returned  with  a  small  dish 
with  possibly  half  a  dozen  berries  on  iL.  The  captain  gazed  at  it  care- 
fully, looked  at  the  waiter  and  remarked  that  "the  samples  are  all 
right  ;  bring  on  the  dish."  The  waiter  departed,  and  after  a  consulta- 
tion with  the  head  waiter,  the  dish  was  placed  before  us,  and  we 
enjoyed  the  berries.  When  the  captain  received  his  bill  that  week 
there  appeared  this  item  : 

"  Dessert,  £i." 

' '  What's  this  ?  ' '  asked  the  Captain  of  the  clerk. 

' '  Strawberries,  sir  ?  "  was  the  answer. 


24  MY  FRIEND,   THE  CAPTAIN  ; 

Five  dollars  was  rather  a  high  price  for  three  pints  of  strawberries 
but  the  Captain  did  not  know  that  we  were  ahead  of  the  season  in 
London,  and  these  came  from  the  south  of  France. 

Second  Day — Take  a  bus  and  go  down  to  Whitehall  street,  visit 
the  Horse  Guards  and  the  home  of  the  commander-in-chief  of  the 
army,  built  in  1753.  Two  mounted  Life  Guards  are  posted  as  senti- 
nels in  front,  each  day  from  10  A.  M.  to  4  P.  M.,  and  the  operation  of 
relieving  the  guard,  which  takes  place  hourly,  is  interesting.  A 
parade  takes  place  on  the  grounds  each  afternoon  about  4  o'clock. 
From  here  pass  on  to  the  Houses  of  Parliament  ( open  free  on  Satur- 
days, 10  to  4),  which  cover  an  area  of  8  acres,  and  contain  n  courts, 
loo  staircases,  and  noo  apartments.  The  cost  was  $15, 000,000,  and 
the  building  was  erected  in  1840.  The  clock  tower  is  318  feet  high. 
The  large  clock  has  four  dials,  each  23  feet  in  diameter,  and  it  takes 
five  hours  to  wind  up  the  striking  parts. 

On  entering,  you  pass  through  the  Norman  arch  to  the  Queen's 
robing  room,  thence  through  the  royal  galleries,  the  Prince's  chamber, 
to  the  House  of  Peers.  From  here  you  go  through  the  Peers'  Lobby 
and  a  corridor  to  the  Central  Hall,  where  you  again  pass  through  a 
corridor  to  the  Commons'  Lobby,  and  thence  to  the  House  of  Com- 
mons, returning  to  the  Central  Hall,  and  out  by  the  way  of  St. 
Stephen's  Hall  and  Westminster  Hall.  From  the  latter  you  enter  the 
crypt  or  chapel.  A  detailed  description  of  this  building,  with  its 
pictures  and  artistic  constructions  would  easily  fill  half  a  book  the 
size  of  this. 

From  the  Houses  of  Parliament  pass  across  the  street  and  you  are 
at  Westminster  Abbey.  The  history  of  this  church  dates  back  to  616, 
but  the  regular  establishment  of  the  Abbey  was  due  to  Edward  the 
Confessor,  who  built  a  church  almost  as  large  as  the  present  one  in 
1049.  The  present  building  was  entirely  rebuilt  by  Henry  III.  and 
his  son,  Edward  I.,  in  the  latter  half  of  the  thirteenth  century.  I 
wish  that  I  might  have  time  and  space  to  describe  this  interesting 
place,  but  even  then  I  could  not  do  it  justice.  One  must  certainly 
visit  it  to  realize  its  magnificence.  Here  are  buried  Edward  the  Con- 
fessor, Queen  Eleanor  (his  first  wife),  Henry  III.,  Edward  III., 
Richard  II.,  Edward  I.,  Henry  VII.,  George  II.,  Queen  Elizabeth, 
Edward  V.,  Charles  II.,  William  III.,  Queen  Mary  and  Queen  Anne, 
kings  and  queens  galore,  besides  their  families,  men  and  women  noted 
in  the  past  history  of  England,  and  royalty  in  all  its  glory; 


OR,    TWO  YANKEES  IN   EUROPE.  25 

Among  the  most  striking  monuments  is  one  in  the  chapels  of  St. 
John  the  Evangelist,  St.  Michael  and  St.  Andrew,  formerly  three 
separate  chapels,  but  now  combined.  Here  is  a  marble  group  by 
Roubillac  in  memory  of  Lady  Nightingale,  erected  by  her  husband 
in  1731,  and  at  his  death,  1752,  he  was  buried  here.  The  representa- 
tion is  that  of  Lady  Nightingale,  resting  on  her  husband's  arm,  and 
in  the  last  hours  of  her  life.  Death  appears  from  the  tomb,  and  is 
launching  his  dart  at  the  dying  lady,  while  her  husband  tries  to  ward 
off  the  attack. 

Life  is  a  jest,  and  all  things  show  it, 
I  thought  so  once,  and  now  I  know  it. 

— Gay. 

Third  Day — An  interesting  day  may  be  spent  by  going  to  either 
Westminster  Pier  or  Charing  Cross  Pier  at  the  foot  of  Northumber- 
land avenue,  and  take  a  boat  down  the  Thames  to  London  bridge  ; 
fare  two  cents.  You  pass  under  all  the  celebrated  bridges  that  cross 
the  liver,  and  have  a  fine  view  of  the  Victoria  Embankment,  Hotel 
Cecil  and  other  prominent  buildings.  Leaving  the  boat  at  London 
bridge  you  pass  under  a  series  of  arches  to  Billingsgate,  the  great  fish 
center  of  London,  and  well  worth  a  visit. 

Just  beyond  is  the  Tower  of  London,  the  ancient  fortress  and, 
historically,  the  most  interesting  spot  in  England.  This  building 
originated  with  William  the  Conqueror,  in  1078,  and  was  erected  for 
a  royal  palace.  Here  are  to  be  seen  the  quaintly  attired  warders,  or 
beef -eaters,  styled  "Yeomen  of  the  Guard."  It  may  be  interesting  to 
know  that  Prince  James  of  Scotland  was  imprisoned  here  in  1405,  and 
it  was  under  the  staircase,  passing  through  the  wall  of  the  White 
Tower  that  the  bones  of  the  two  young  princes,  murdered  by  their 
uncle,  the  Duke  of  Gloucester,  afterward  Richard  III.,  were  found. 
On  the  first  floor  are  the  apartments  in  which  Sir  Walter  Raleigh  was 
confined  when  lie  wrote  his  "History  of  the  World."  Lady  Jane 
Grey  was  confined  here,  and  Henry  VI.  was  murdered  in  Record 
Tower.  Other  notables  were  also  confined  here,  among  them  being 
William  Wallace,  the  Scottish  chief,  and  the  Duke  of  Orleans,  father 
of  Louis  XII,,  of  France.  In  the  courtyard  is  the  spot  where  many 
notables  were  executed,  such  as  Queen  Anne  Boleyn,  Queen  Catherine 
Howard,  Lady  Jane  Grey  and  others.  The  tower  is  a  complete 
museum  of  antiques,  armor,  etc.,  of  every  kind  and  description. 
Here  is  also  to  be  seen  the  crown  jewels  valued  at  $75, 000,000. 


«SWI 


i 


$ 


OR,   TWO  YANKEES  IN   EUROPE.  2? 

From  our  arrival  in  London  to  the  present  time  the  Captain  had 
not  been  fully  pleased  with  his  menu.  "  If  I  only  had  a  good  plate 
of  Boston  baked  beans  and  a  piece  of  apple  pie,  I  would  be  fixed," 
was  his  exclamation  day  in  and  day  out 

Fourth  Day — Take  a  bus  and  go  to  St.  Paul's,  the  third  largest 
church  in  the  world,  its  only  rivals  being  the  cathedrals  at  Rome  and 
Milan.  The  present  church  was  commenced  in  1675,  first  opened  for 
service  in  1697,  and  completed  in  1710.  It  may  be  interesting  to 
know  that  this  great  structure  was  designed  by  one  man,  Sir 
Christopher  Wren,  and  built  by  one  master  mason,  Thomas  Strong. 
The  cost  of  the  edifice  was  about  $20,000,000,  and  was  defrayed 
almost  wholly  by  a  tax  on  coal.  The  architect  received  a  salary  of 
only  $5000  per  year. 

The  church  somewhat  resembles  St.  Peter's  at  Rome.  It  is  so 
hemmed  in  with  narrow  streets  and  large  buildings  that  its  proportions 
cannot  be  realized.  It  is  500  feet  long  and  1 18  feet  wide.  The  inner 
dome  is  225  feet,  and  the  outer  364  feet  from  the  pavement  to  the 
cross.  The  diameter  of  the  dome  is  about  1 1 2  feet.  Here  are  to  be 
found  monuments  erected  to  the  illustrious  dead  of  England.  To 
visit  London  and  miss  St.  Paul's  would  be  like  going  to  a  theatre  and 
not  seeing  the  play. 

From  St.  Paul's  pass  along  the  left  and  you  are  shortly  in  front  of 
the  Mansion  House,  the  official  residence  of  the  Lord  Mayor  of 
London  during  the  term  of  his  office.  This  was  erected  in  1739.  Not 
open  to  the  public.  Opposite  the  Mansion  House  is  the  Bank  of 
England,  the  most  powerful  financial  institution  in  the  world,  known 
as  "The  Old  Lady  of  Thread-Needle  street,"  as  it  is  located  on  that 
thoroughfare.  The  bank  was  founded  in  1691  by  William  Paterson,  a 
Scotchman,  and  is  the  first  joint  stock  bank  established  in  England, 
and  continued  as  such  until  1834.  It  is  still  the  only  bank  in 
England  having  the  power  to  issue  paper  money.  Its  original  capital 
was  $30,000,000,  which  has  increased  to  nearly  $500,000,000.  It 
employs  900  persons,  with  an  annual  payroll  of  over  $5,000,000. 
England  pays  the  bank  $5,000,000  per  year  for  managing  its  national 
debt,  now  amounting  to  $15,500,000,000.  It  is  said  that  the  average 
amount  of  money  negotiated  in  the  bank  per  day  amounts  to 
$50,000,000.  The  bank  contains  a  general  printing  office  where  it 
does  all  its  work,  including  the  printing  of  its  bills,  some  15,000 


28  MY  FRIEND,  THE  CAPTAIN  ; 

daily.  A  bill  is  never  issued  a  second  time  ;  no  matter  if  only  a  day 
old  the  moment  they  are  returned  to  the  bank  or  any  of  its  branches 
they  are  condemned. 

Passing  from  the  bank  to  the  end  of  King  street  is  Guild  Hall,  or 
the  council  room  of  old  London.  This  building  is  well  worth  inspec- 
tion. Connected  with  it  is  an  excellent  art  gallery  and  a  museum  of 
relics  of  old  London. 

Fifth  Day — A  most  instructive  and  certainly  a  pleasant  half  day 
can  be  profitably  passed  at  the  National  Gallery,  Trafalgar  square, 
the  leading  art  gallery  of  England,  which  was  erected  in  1832  at  a 
cost  of  $2,500,000.  It  is  460  feet  long,  and  contains  twenty-two 
rooms  replete  with  works  of  art  by  not  only  the  most  famous  old 
masters,  but  men  and  women  noted  in  later  days. 

Sixth  Day — On  Great  Russell  street,  off  Oxford  street,  is  located 
the  British  Museum.  Weeks  could  be  spent  in  examining  the  many 
curiosities  contained  therein.  It  is  estimated  that  750,000  people 
visit  this  building  annually.  Here  is  to  be  found  the  largest  library 
in  the  world,  containing  80,000  volumes,  with  over  1,000,000  volumes 
in  reserve.  This,  however,  is  only  a  small  part  of  the  great  treat  in 
store  for  the  sight-seer.  Manuscripts  and  autograph  letters  of  kings 
and  queens  long  since  dead,  and  curious  specimens  of  Nature's  and 
man's  handiwork  from  all  parts  of  the  globe.  If  possible,  try  and 
arrange  to  put  in  a  full  day  here. 

The  manager  of  the  hotel  where  we  were  located  in  London  was 
giving  us  a  glowing  account  of  the  great  naval  review  in  honor  of 
the  Queen's  Diamond  Jubilee,  and  asked  the  Captain  if  he  was  present 
to  witness  it. 

"No,"  was  his  reply;  "I  can  go  to  New  York  any  day  and 
witness  as  fine  a  show  from  the  top  of  any  of  our  tall  buildings." 

Seventh  Day — Soane's  Museum,  founded  and  owned  by  Sir 
John  Soane,  the  architect  of  the  Bank  of  England,  is  located  at  13 
Lincoln's  Inn  Fields,  just  off  Chancery  lane  or  Holburn.  It  is  an 
interesting  place  to  visit.  Here  is  to  be  found  Hogarth's  celebrated 
series  of  eight  pictures  illustrating  "  The  Rake's  Progress,"  originally 
purchased  for  about  $14,000  and  now  considered  priceless.  Also  by 
the  same  artist  four  pictures  illustrating  an  English  election  in  early- 
days.  In  addition  to  the  above  there  is  a  large  collection  of  drawings 
by  Sir  John,  as  well  as  numerous  curiosities  and  bric-a-brac  collected 


OR,   TWO  YANKEES  IN  EUROPE.  29 

by  him.  This  place  can  be  easily  visited  during  the  morning,  and 
after  lunch,  make  arrangements  to  spend  the  afternoon  at  Hyde  Park, 
arriving  there  by  3:30  p.  M.,  and  view  the  magnificent  procession  of 
carriages  that  appear  about  4  p.  M.,  a  sight  well  worth  seeing  and 
only  equaled  by  the  Champs  Elysees,  Paris,  during  the  Grand  Prix  in 
June.  If  you  prefer  to  take  a  carriage  and  start  out  an  hour  earlier, 
you  will  find  in  proximity  to  Hyde  Park  Buckingham  Palace,  the 
Queen's  residence  when  in  town,  Marlborough  House,  the  residence 
of  the  Prince  of  Wales,  St.  James'  Palace,  former  residence  of  the 
Queen,  Kensington  Palace,  the  birthplace  of  the  Queen,  York 
House,  etc. 

The  main  entrance  to  Hyde  Park  is  through  the  marble  arch, 
originally  erected  by  George  IV.  at  the  entrance  to  Buckingham 
Palace,  at  a  cost  of  $400, ooo.  In  1850  it  was  removed  from  the 
Palace,  and  a  year  later  erected  as  above.  In  the  afternoon's  drive 
are  to  be  seen  the  finest  turnouts  in  London,  elegant  equipages,  high 
bred  horses  and  handsome  trappings,  with  drivers  and  footmen  in 
showy  costume.  If  perchance  you  take  this  in  and  happen  to  see  a 
turnout  with  the  coachman  and  footman  in  red  livery,  it  is  a  part  of 
the  Royalty,  for  they  alone  are  allowed  to  dress  their  servants  in  this 
color. 

We  were  returning  from  the  lower  part  of  London  one  day, 
seated  on  top  of  a  bus,  and  both  of  us  enjoying  our  cigars.  The 
Captain  occasionally  spat  over  the  side  of  the  bus. 

"  Don't  let  them  catch  you  doing  that,  Captain,"  I  said. 

"  Why  ?  "  he  remarked. 

' '  Because  you  will  be  fined  two  pounds. ' ' 

' '  Fined  and  be  hanged  !  What  do  I  care  ?  ' '  answered  the  Captain. 
"I've  got  money  to  burn,  and  just  as  lief  burn  it  here  as  any- 
where." 

Eighth  Day — Go  out  to  Regent  Park  and  visit  the  Zoological  and 
the  Botanical  Gardens,  two  of  the  most  interesting  places  for  a  day 
out  in  the  sunshine  in  London.  One  can  profitably  spend  a  whole 
day  in  these  delightful  spots. 

Ninth  Day — When  I  was  last  in  London  I  neglected  to  visit  the 
Crystal  Palace.  Everybody  I  met  upon  my  return  said,  "  Oh  !  "  and 
"  Why  did  you  miss  it?  "  etc.  This  time  I  went  and  it  was  a  fete 
day,  too.  I  got  back  as  quickly  as  I  could,  and  a  more  disgusted 


OR,   TWO  YANKEES  IN  EUROPE.  31 

party  than  ours  I  never  met.  Take  my  advice  and  keep  away  from 
the  Crystal  Palace.  It  is  a  dirty,  bad-smelling,  overgrown  barn.  If 
it  was  located  in  New  York  or  Boston  it  would  be  condemned  by  the 
authorities.  The  show  of  goods  is  a  poor  one  and  nothing  to  attract. 
This  much  I  will  say,  the  building  is  an  imposing  one  from  the 
exterior  and  the  grounds  about  it  are  finely  laid  out.  The  building 
was  constructed  in  1854  and  is  1608  feet  long.  It  was  built  in 
eighteen  weeks,  employing  from  4000  to  7000  hands  per  day  in  its 
construction.  It  is  built  of  glass  and  iron.  But  you  don't  want  to 
waste  your  time  going  out  there,  for  it  will  spoil  a  whole  day  of  your 
London  visit. 

In  place  of  the  Crystal  Palace,  let  me  suggest  you  pass  a  day  at 
Earls  Court,  more  especially  if  there  is  an  exhibition  there.  This 
delightful  place  can  be  reached  by  bus  or  underground  railway  or  by 
boat  on  the  Thames.  It  is  beautifully  laid  out  and  a  most  charming 
place  for  a  day's  outing. 

Tenth  Day — The  Kew  Gardens  are  at  Kew,  a  pleasant  ride  by 
boat  on  the  Thames.  Let  me  suggest  that  you  start  early  for  Kew 
and  take  a  view  of  this  beautiful  park,  then  take  the  tram  cars 
and  stage  for  Hampton  Court,  where  you  are  due  about  noon. 
Here  one  finds  the  old  palace  built  by  Cardinal  Wolsey,  afterwards 
the  home  of  Henry  VIII.,  and  later  occupied  by  Cromwell,  the 
Stuarts,  William  III.,  and  the  first  two  monarchs  of  the  house  of 
Hanover.  Since  the  days  of  George  II.  Hampton  Court  has  ceased  to 
be  a  royal  residence.  In  this  old  palace  is  to  be  found  among  the 
numerous  interesting  rooms  the  king's  first  presence  chamber,  the 
king's  drawing  room,  bedroom  of  King  William  III.,  which  contains 
the  bed  of  Queen  Charlotte.  There  is  a  clock  in  this  room  that  when 
wound  up  will  go  for  a  year,  yet,  while  in  good  order,  is  no  longer 
wound.  The  queen's  bedroom  contains  Queen  Anne's  bed.  Here 
are  also  the  rooms  of  the  then  Prince  of  Wales,  besides  a  large  num- 
ber of  an  interesting  nature,  seventeen  in  all,  but  I  cannot  tell  all 
about  it  here  ;  further  on  I  will  give  you  more  details  and  show  some 
illustrations.  Leaving  Hampton  Court,  take  the  boat  for  London, 
and  if  you  do  not  say  the  ride  down  is  a  most  charming  one,  I  will 
agree  I  am  no  authority  in  this  direction.  To  describe  a  three  hours' 
sail  down  the  Thames  is  beyond  my  power.  The  boats  are  flat,  side 
wheel,  and  will  carry,  say  100  or  about  that.  During  the  summer,  a 


32  MY  FRIEND,   THE  CAPTAIN  ; 

"  band,"  consisting  of  a  melodeon,  a  cornet  and  a  flute,  "  discourse 
sweet  music  "  and  are  paid  by  a  collection. 

A  fine  orchestra  discoursed  sweet  music  in  the  corridor  of  our 
hotel  at  London  from  6  to~9  p.  M.  Twice  a  week  it  would  close  the 
selection  with  "God  Save  the  Queen,"  when  those  present  would 
rise.  The  first  time  this  occurred  after  our  arrival,  the  Captain  com- 
menced to  sing  "  My  Country,  'tis  of  Thee."  I  nudged  him  to  keep 
quiet.  "Let  me  alone,"  was  his  response.  "They're  playing  the 
tune  and  I  am  going  to  sing  it." 

Eleventh  Day — Let  me  suggest  that  a  visit  be  made  to  the  Victoria 
Embankment.  This  was  built  from  1864  to  1870  at  a  cost  of  $75,000,- 
ooo,  the  amount  being  raised  by  taxes  levied  on  coal  and  wines.  The 
roadway  is  about  loo  feet  wide,  and  extends  from  Blackfriars  to 
Westminster  bridge.  While  here  a  visit  can  be  made  to  the  elegant 
new  Hotel  Cecil,  which  faces  on  the  embankment,  and  is  a  marvel  in 
hoteldom. 

The  balance  of  the  day  can  be  employed  in  a  trip  to  Kensington 
Gardens,  a  beautiful  spot  adjoining  Hyde  Park,  and  here  is  located 
the  Albert  Memorial,  erected  by  the  queen  in  memory  of  her  hus- 
band, the  Prince  Consort.  Directly  opposite  is  the  Royal  Albert 
Hall,  built  in  amphitheater  shape,  Sio  feet  in  circumference,  with  a 
seating  capacity  of  8000.  Fine  concerts  are  given  here  every  Sunday 
afternoon  at  3.30,  with  seats  at  twelve  cents  and  twenty-five  cents  each. 
The  poorest  seat  in  the  house  commands  a  full  view  of  the  stage. 

Twelfth  Day — A  visit  to  the  South  Kensington  Museum  will  surely 
repay  the  tourist.  Here  is  to  be  found  a  fine  collection  of  exhibits  in 
a  gallery  of  art.  Also  the  Indian  Museum  close  by  filled  with  an 
exhibit  of  barbaric  curiosities  and  historic  relics,  and  the  Natural 
History  Museum  close  by,  which,  as  its  name  implies,  is  made  up  of 
a  collection  of  zoology,  geology,  mineralogy  and  botany.  All  well 
worth  a  visit. 

This  completes  the  twelve  working  days  in  London.  One  Sunday 
let  me  suggest  attending  services  at  Westminster,  and  the  other  at 
Dr.  Parker's  City  Temple,  Holborn  Viaduct.  If  you  can  only  visit 
one  of  the  above  take  in  Dr.  Parker's,  by  all  means.  Dr.  Parker  is 
an  Englishman  by  birth,  but  an  intense  lover  of  America  and  Ameri- 
cans. It  may  be  remembered  that  after  the  death  of  Henry  Ward 
Beecher  he  was  called  as  pastor  of  his  church,  but  did  not  feel  as 


OR,    TWO  YANKEES  IN   EUROPE.  33 

thongh  he  could  leave  his  London  charge.  Every  Sunday  morning 
after  his  prayer  for  the  Queen,  he  prays  for  the  President  of  the 
United  States  and  his  people.  Services  of  one  hour's  duration,  from 
12  to  i,  are  held  every  Thursday  noon.  I  attended  one  of  these.  It 
was  the  second  day  after  the  Queen's  Diamond  Jubilee,  and  Dr. 
Parker  announced  that  he  would  speak  on  his  impressions  of  that 
occasion.  The  great  house  was  filled  ;  such  a  dramatic  speaker  I 
never  before  heard  in  a  pulpit.  "Soldiers,  guns,  bayonets,  swords, 
cannons  and  lances  "  was  his  theme,  against  "  Peace,  happiness  and 
prosperity."  Two  little  girls  about  twelve  years  of  age  occupied  front 
seats  in  the  choir.  When  the  sermon  was  ended  they  sang  "God 
Save  the  Queen,"  the  audience  joining  in  the  last  verse,  after  which 
Dr.  Parker  announced  they  were  two  little  American  girls  from  across 
the  sea,  who  were  in  London  on  a  visit,  "and  now,"  he  concluded, 
"  let  us  pray  for  that  great  country  and  great  people  of  America." 

And  he  prayed. 

As  my  friend  the  Captain  remarked,  "  He  prayed  like  a  soldier." 

While  we  were  in  London  the  Captain  and  myself  visited  the 
Gaiety  Theater.  It  so  happened  that  on  the  evening  in  question  we 
occupied  a  box.  After  the  conclusion  of  the  first  act  a  waiter  appeared 
on  the  scene  with  a  tray  covered  with  ices,  cake,  etc.,  and  the  Captain 
ate  heartily.  After  finishing  the  repast  he  turned  to  me  and  remarked  : 

"  I  tell  you  what,  these  Englishmen  know  how  to  do  up  things  in 
good  shape.  Just  see  how  they  treat  their  patrons  !  Did  you  ever 
hear  of  an  American  theater  manager  doing  this  thing  ?  " 

I  acknowledged  that  I  had  not,  but  at  the  conclusion  of  the  second 
act  the  Captain  was  taken  aback  by  the  waiter  entering  and  present- 
ing him  with  a  bill  for  45.,  or  |i  United  States  currency.  The 
Captain  paid  the  bill  without  a  murmur,  but  he  had  nothing  further 
to  say  about  the  generosity  of  the  English  theatrical  manager. 


34  MY  FRIEND,    THE   CAPTAIN  ; 


CHAPTER  III. 
Some  Things  Seen  and  Heard  in  London. 

DURING  the  early  part  of  our  travels,  the  Captain  delighted  to 
introduce  me  as  "  a  live  Yankee,"  but  an  event  occurred  later 
on  that  gave  me  a  new  title.  We  were  stopping  for  a  few 
days  at  an  interior  town,  and  experienced  considerable  trouble 
in  having  our  wants  carefully  looked  after. 

"  If  you  promise  to  keep  quiet  for  an  hour,  I  will  see  we  are  well 
cared  for,"  said  the  Captain,  addressing  me. 

I  promised. 

That  noon  at  lunch,  the  same  old  cause  for  complaint  occurred. 
The  Captain  got  up  from  the  table,  went  out  where  the  waiter  was 
finally  located,  and  addressing  her,  said  : 

"  Do  you  know  who  that  gentleman  is  with  me?" 

"  No  sir,"  was  the  reply. 

"  Well,"  said  the  Captain,  "he  is  the  Crown  Prince  of  America, 
and  I  advise  you  to  be  more  careful  in  your  attention  to  him." 

The  girl  almost  fainted,  and  I  was  as  much  surprised  as  the  waiter, 
when  the  Captain  returned  to  the  table,  she  following,  and  bowing 
and  scraping,  addressed  me  as  "  Your  Royal  Highness,'  and  informed 
me  that  whatever  I  wanted  I  could  have.  After  her  departure,  the 
Captain  explained  the  situation.  I  looked  for  my  hat  to  beat  a  hasty 
departure,  and  since  then  the  Captain  has  called  me  Crown  Prince  of 
America.  He  insists,  however,  that  it  is  an  actual  fact,  as  we  are  all 
crown  princes  in  the  United  States.  I  guess  he  is  right,  although  we 
do  not  realize  this  ourselves,  yet  the  Captain  declares  I  walked 
"stiff er"  than  I  ever  did  before. 

I  am  going  to  devote  this  chapter  to  minor  matters  that  attracted 
my  attention  while  in  London,  the  first  of  which  was  a  series  of  articles 
contributed  to  a  London  daily  paper  by  Julian  Ralph,  an  American 
journalist,  who  put  in  an  appearance  in  London  while  I  was  there. 
His  articles  were  published  under  the  title  of  '  As  Seen  Through 


OR,    TWO   YANKEES  IN   EUROPE.  35 

American  Eyes."  His  first  was  on  the  beggar  question,  and  he 
started  off  by  offering  an  apology  to  the  British  public  for  what  he 
had  said  in  certain  letters  he,  as  a  newspaper  correspondent,  wrote  to 
the  American  press,  when  he  was  last  in  London.  It  appears  in  these 
letters  he  told  the  story  of  the  London  beggar,  and  I  have  no  doubt 
he  told  it  truthfully,  but  as  he  had  now  secured  an  opportunity  to 
write  for  the  English  press  the  first  thing  he  did  was  to  take  it  all  back 
and  say  he  had  been  "  misled,'1  and  there  were  no  beggars  in  London. 
In  his  first  article  above  referred  to  he  told  of  his  visit  to  the  homes 
of  the  poorer  classes  in  London  those  whose  earnings  were  four  to  five 
dollars  per  week,  and  "  how  happily  they  lived,"  that  their  life  was  a 
free  and  easy  one,  they  had  no  cares,  etc.  He  further  said  that  the 
London  beggar  was  a  myth,  or  that  there  were  no  more  beggars  in 
London  than  there  were  in  New  York  or  any  other  large  American 
city. 

In  contradiction  to  the  above,  let  me  first  say  that  London  is  a  pest 
house  of  beggars.  They  can  be  found  on  every  street  corner  and  on 
every  street  ;  they  are  the  poorest  kind  of  beggars,  and  in  many  cases 
the  dirtiest  kind  of  beggars.  They  belong  to  that  class  that  are  not 
allowed  to  roam  the  streets  of  our  American  cities  but  are  locked  up 
for  safe  keeping. 

Then,  again,  the  comparison  of  the  "  happy  life"  of  the  poor  work- 
ing class  would,  were  it  not  a  solemn  matter,  be  considered  humorous. 
This  class  of  people  live  in  one  or  two  rooms  in  the  very  poorest 
quarters  of  the  city,  and  there  are  more  poorer  quarters  in  London  to 
the  thousand  inhabitants  than  there  are  in  New  York  to  every  five 
thousand  ;  they  eat  but  little,  and  usually  drink  all  the  poor  beer  and 
whiskey  they  can  get.  Indeed  they  are  a  deplorable  class. 

Mr.  Ralph's  second  letter  was  of  the  really  humorous  type,  and 
even  more  ridiculous  than  his  first.  It  was  on  the  subject  of  "  Eng- 
lish vs.  American  Food."  Said  Mr.  Ralph.  "I  was  glad  to  go  to 
London  once  more,  and  enjoy  the  good  wholesome  eating  that  her 
people  are  accustomed  to  ;  it  was  such  a  relief  from  what  we  are  accus- 
tomed to  in  America." 

What  could  Ralph's  past  way  of  living  have  been  if  this  utterance 
of  his  was  true — but  it  was  not  true,  and  Ralph  knew  it,  or  else  he 
was  the  worse  specimen  of  an  epicurean  this  country  ever  turned  out. 
In  England  there  is  not  the  variety  we  have,  the  same  meats  and  vege- 


The  Nightingale  Tomb  in  Westminster  Abbey,  London. 


OR,   TWO   YANKEES  IN   EUROPE.  37 

tables,  the  same  entrees  and  desserts  are  served  up  from  January  to 
January  ;  two  vegetables,  potatoes  and  one  other,  make  up  this  course 
for  every  lunch  or  dinner.  Their  meats,  with  the  exception  of  mutton, 
are  never  cooked  correctly,  while  a  good  beefsteak  is  unknown.  In 
the  matter  of  dessert  they  are  still  subjects  for  a  kindergarten.  Dur- 
ing our  four  months'  tour  of  Europe,  we  stopped  at  the  best  hotels 
but  they  were  no  comparison  to  our  best  American  hotels.  On  the 
continent  they  serve  one  better  than  in  England,  for  they  seasoned 
their  food,  while  in  England  they  do  not. 

A  word  on  the  subject  of  living.  First,  to  live  the  same  in  Europe 
as  we  do  here  would  cost  from  20  to  30  per  cent  more  in  any  country 
I  visited.  Second,  they  do  not  live  the  same  over  there  as  we  do  here. 
That  really  covers  the  whole  matter  in  a  nutshell.  The  average 
Britisher  would  live  something  like  this  : 

For  breakfast — rolls,  eggs  and  coffee. 

For  lunch — beef,  potatoes,  peas,  cheese  and  crackers. 

For  dinner — soup,  beef,  potatoes,  cabbage,  and  either  a  pudding 
or  fruit  and  coffee. 

The  above  bill  of  fare  is  such  as  is  usually  served  in  a  family  who 
may  be  called  ' '  well  to  do, "  but  not  wealthy.  Compare  this  with  what 
a  man  with  an  income  of  $1500  per  year  would  have  in  this  country. 
When  we  consider  the  laboring  classes,  they  live  poor.  Their  break- 
fast is  usually  bread  and  coffee.  At  10  o'clock  they  have  a  ten  or 
fifteen  minutes'  recess  for  bread  and  tea  ;  at  noon,  a  soup,  bread  and 
coffee,  or  a  piece  of  beef,  bread  and  coffee  ;  at  4  o'clock,  another 
recess  for  bread  and  tea,  and  at  night  their  supper  consists  of  about 
the  same.  Meat  only  once  a  day — some  have  it  at  noon  and  some  at 
night. 

On  the  continent  the  working  people  live  largely  on  bread  and 
beer  or  cheap  wine,  with  a  soup  or  a  bit  of  meat  once  a  day,  while  the 
better  class  live  better  than  does  the  average  Britisher  of  the  same 
rank. 

The  purchasing  power  of  a  dollar  is  greater  in  the  United  States 
than  in  Europe.  This  may  seem  strange  to  the  average  reader  who 
has  never  been  abroad,  yet  it  is  nevertheless  true.  Said  a  French 
lady  to  me  about  two  months  before  I  departed  for  the  other  side  :  "  I 
was  born  in  Paris,  I  know  just  how  far  a  dollar  will  go  there  ;  I  can 
get  more  for  one  hundred  dollars  in  Boston  or  New  York  than  I  can  in 


38  MY  FRIEND,   THE   CAPTAIN  ; 

any  city  I  ever  visited  in  Europe!"  She  referred  to  the  average 
purchase,  and  did  not  mean  all  kid  gloves,  all  hose  or  any  one  thing, 
for  each  place  you  visit  has  its  specialties.  Gloves  are  cheaper  in 
Paris  or  London  than  in  New  York,  laces  are  cheaper  in  Brussels, 
works  of  art  cheaper  in  Germany  and  Italy,  diamonds  cheaper  in 
Amsterdam  or  London.  Men's  clothes  are  cheaper  in  London,  but 
while  you  get  good  cloth  you  get  poor  workmanship.  Furs  are  50  per 
cent  cheaper  in  Geneva  and  20  per  cent  cheaper  in  London  than  in 
New  York.  On  the  other  hand,  underwear,  shirts,  hosiery,  collars, 
cuffs,  neckwear,  shoes,  ladies*  undergarments  and  a  thousand  other 
small  things  are  much  higher  wherever  you  go  than  here  at  home. 
Take  silks  for  dresses ;  one  has  an  idea  they  can  be  bought  on  the 
other  side  for  a  song,  but  you  have  my  word  for  it,  that  you  not  only 
find  a  better  assortment  in  our  large  stores  here,  but  the  prices  are 
actually  lower,  and  this  in  the  face  of  the  fact  that  we  import  the 
greater  amount  of  what  we  use  and  pay  60  per  cent  duty  on  them.  If 
you  go  to  a  really  first-class  dressmaker  or  a  milliner,  you  will  pay 
fully  as  much,  if  not  more,  for  their  services  as  you  will  for  the  same 
class  of  work  here.  I  could  name  a  hundred  little  things  that  cost 
from  25  to  ico  per  cent  more  on  the  other  side  than  the  self  same 
article  would  cost  here.  Take  the  necessities  of  life,  such  as  meats, 
poultry,  eggs,  butter,  cheese,  vegetables,  etc..  and  they  are  higher  at 
all  seasons  of  the  year  than  they  are  in  the  United  States.  And  in 
the  face  of  the  above,  the  average  pay  of  the  working  class  is  from  75 
cents  to  $i  per  day.  No  wonder  they  have  to  live  economically. 

While  in  London  I  attended  an  entertainment  where  a  display  of 
animated  photographs  illustrating  the  Queen's  Jubilee  procession  was 
one  of  the  attractions.  These  photographs  were  shown  without  inter- 
ruption for  twenty  minutes  and  you  can  imagine  my  surprise  when 
they  commenced,  the  orchestra  struck  up  the  ''  Washington  Post 
March,"  and  it  was  continued  during  the  show.  This  is  an  English 
theater.  The  next  thing  I  looked  for  and  expected  to  see  was  an 
English  ballet,  illustrating  the  Queen's  Jubilee,  danced  to  the  tune  of 
"  Yankee  Doodle." 

The  Captain  got  mixed,  up  with  his  English  money  occasional!}-. 
One  day  he  bought  three  cigars.  I  asked  him  how  much  he  paid  for 
them. 

"Well,"  he  remarked,  "I  think  it  was  forty  odd  cents.  I  gave 
the  clerk  a  shilling,  thrippence.  a  penny  and  something  else." 


OR,    TWO   YANKKES   IN   EUROPE.  39 

London  was  full  of  American  flags.  They  floated  from  nearly 
every  store.  Walking  up  Regent  street  from  Piccadilly  to  Oxford 
Circus,  I  counted  no  less  than  nine  in  one  day,  not  little  tiny  flags, 
but  full-sized  American  flags  floating  from  flagstaffs  on  top  of  the 
buildings.  Many  of  the  stores  were  decorated  with  the  American  and 
English  colors.  Of  course  this  was  to  attract  business,  but  at  the 
same  time  it  showed  there  was  a  good  feeling. 

The  question  has  been  often  discussed  as  to  what  is  the  cost  for  a 
tour  of  Europe.  That  certainly  depends  upon  how  the  tourist  in 
question  desires  to  go.  It  can  be  made  very  expensive  or  inexpensive. 
To  illustrate,  I  will  take  for  instance  a  case  where  dollars  and  cents 
do  not  count  and  give  an  example  of  about  the  cost  of  a  tour  of  three 
months  : 

Fare,  round  trip, $200 

Steamer  fees, 15 

Fare  from  Liverpool  to  London,  second  class,      ...  10 

Fare  for  continental  tour,  two  months 75 

Fare  two  weeks'  tour  of  England  and  Scotland,   ...  25 

Hotel  two  weeks  in  London, 56 

Hotel  two  weeks  England, 42 

Hotel  sixty  days  continent 210 

Tips 35 

Carriages, 25 

Fees  to  galleries,  museums,  etc 15 

Laundry ' 15 

Total, $723 

or  in  other  words  about  $ 800.  In  regard  to  the  expense  of  the  above 
let  me  say  that  the  passage  across  and  back  includes  that  on  one 
of  the  ocean  greyhounds,  like  the  Majestic  or  Teutonic.  This  price 
will  pay  for  a  berth  in  a  two-berth  inside  room,  or  in  a  four-berth  out- 
side room  on  the  lower  deck.  The  accommodations,  however,  are 
strictly  first-class.  Higher  rates  of  fare  are  charged  for  choice  loca- 
tions in  outside  rooms,  and  where  rooms  are  taken  as  a  whole,  usually 
double  fare  is  exacted.  The  steamer  fees  include  IDS  ($2.50)  each  for 
your  room  steward  and  table  steward  and  53  (1.25)  for  your  deck 
steward,  who  looks  after  your  steamer  chair  and  your  comfort  while 
on  deck. 

It  will  be  observed  that  I  have  put  down  the  fare  from  Liverpool 
to  London  at  second  class,  which  is  the  usual  way  of  traveling.  The 


. 

& 


OR,    TWO  YANKEES  IN   EUROPE.  41 

two  weeks'  tour  of  England  is  also  to  be  made  second  class,  while  the 
fare  for  the  two  months'  tour  of  the  continent  is  first-class  steamers 
and  second-class  rail,  excepting  in  France,  where  the  conveyance  is 
by  first-class  rail.  It  will  also  be  observed  that  the  rate  for  two  weeks 
in  London,  or  fourteen  days,  the  hotel  charge  is  about  $4.  per  day. 
This  is  as  low  a  figure  as  one  can  get  in  a  first-class  hotel.  Most  of 
the  hotels  are  conducted  on  the  European  plan  and  a  very  few,  for 
instance,  "  The  Langham,"  which  is  one  of  the  best  hotels  in  London, 
will  take  guests  on  the  American  plan,  at  a  nominal  rate  of  $ 3. 75  per 
day.  As  the  Langham  hotel  is  located  in  the  very  best  part  of  London, 
on  high  land,  with  magnificent  surroundings,  there  is  no  better  house 
for  one  to  stop,  in  case  they  want  a  first-class  place — one  of  refinement 
and  quiet.  The  average  cost  for  hotels  through  England  would  be 
about  $3.50  per  day.  These  are  also  conducted  on  the  European  plan. 
On  the  continent  the  rate  is  about  the  same,  provided  best  hotels  are 
visited.  There  are  many  cheap  hotels  wThere  lower  rates  can  be  had, 
but  the  average  tariff  is  about  as  follows  :  Rooms  $i  per  day,  plain 
breakfast,  consisting  of  eggs,  rolls,  toast  and  butter  and  coffee,  tea  or 
chocolate,  50  cents.  Table  d'hote  lunch,  75  cents.  Dinner  from  $i 
to  $1.25.  These  are  the  prevailing  prices  in  all  the  first-class  hotels. 
The  estimate  of  $35  for  tips  will  be  sufficient,  where  one  is  travel- 
ing alone,  as  the  amounts  are  usually  very  small,  but  a  large  number 
have  to  be  looked  after.  It  will  also  be  observed  in  making  an  allow- 
ance of  $25  for  carriages,  that  this  will  be  sufficient  as  one  can  usually 
hire  a  carriage  for  twenty-five  cents  in  England  ;  the  rate,  however, 
in  France  is  thirty  cents  to  which  must  be  added  the  pour  boire,  or 
"drink  money,"  of  five  cents  extra.  In  most  all  the  galleries, 
museums  and  places  of  interest,  a  small  fee,  varying  from  ten  cents 
to  twenty-five  cents,  is  charged,  which  the  $15  allowed  for  above  will 
be  ample  to  cover.  The  matter  of  laundry  will  be  rather  a  surprise  to 
the  American  tourist,  as  the  Europeans  have  not  yet  adopted  the 
American  methods  in  this  work.  Usually  it  is  horribly  done  and  the 
prevailing  prices  are  nearly  as  much  as  in  this  country.  In  case  a 
party  of  two  are  traveling  together,  the  total  expenses  will  be  some- 
what less  for  each  one  than  the  above,  for  the  reason  that  two  can 
ride  in  a  carriage  at  the  same  price  as  one  ;  in  other  words,  a  carriage 
ride  of  twenty-five  cents  will  convey  two  people  without  an  additional 
charge,  while  in  the  matter  of  tips  they  will  be  increased  but  very 
little. 


42  MY  FRIEND,   THE  CAPTAIN  ; 

In  addition  to  the  above  there  are  other  expenses  that  will  confront 
the  tourist  and  they  are  preparations  for  the  journey.  For  instance, 
a  good  steamer  trunk  will  cost  from  $8  to  $15,  a  steamer  chair  costs 
$i  each  way,  and  there  are  other  little  incidentals  that  will  be  neces- 
sary to  make  the  voyage  a  pleasant  one. 

Now  comes  the  question  of  making  an  economical  tour.  This  can 
be  accomplished,  as  follows  :  There  are  many  freight  steamers,  ply- 
ing between  Boston,  New  York  and  Liverpool,  which  convey  passen- 
gers for  the  nominal  fare  of  about  $40  each  way.  The  steamer  fees 
are  less,  third-class  railroad  passage  can  be  taken  and  the  tourist  can 
stop  at  cheaper  hotels,  and  instead  of  carriages  take  omnibuses  and 
tram  cars,  thus  reducing  the  expenses  considerably.  Therefore,  we 
might  figure  it  up  something  like  this  : 

Fares  for  round  trip,      .   i |  80 

Steamer  fees, 8 

Fare,  third-class,  to  London  and  return, 

Fare,  third-class,  continental  tour, 55 

Fare,  two  weeks'  English  tour 18 

Hotel,  two  weeks  in  London  at  $2  per  day, 28 

Hotel,  two  weeks  in  England  at  $2  per  day,     ....  28 

Hotel  sixty  days  on  the  continent  at  $2  per  day,  .     .     .  120 

Tips,  .     .     , .'    .     .     .  20 

Fees  to  galleries,  museums,  etc 15 

Laundry, 15 

Total, $394 

or  one-half  the  first  estimate. 

In  many  cases  the  tourist  prefers  to  go  to  pensions  or  boarding 
houses,  where  accommodations  can  be  had  in  England  as  low  as  from 
$1.25  to  $1.50  per  day,  and  on  the  continent  from  $i  to  $1.25  per  day. 
In  a  case  like  this  it  would  be  necessary  to  make  a  stop  of  several 
days  to  secure  these  rates.  In  lining  out  the  continental  tour  it  would 
include  something  like  the  following  :  Liverpool  to  London  ;  from 
London  northward,  visiting  the  English  lakes;  thence  to  Glasgow, 
over  The  Trossachs  to  Edinburgh  ;  Edinburgh  down  through  York 
and  several  other  interesting  places  to  Harwich  ;  then  by  steamer  to 
Rotterdam,  visiting  Rotterdam,  the  Hague,  Amsterdam  ;  on  to  Ant- 
werp, Belgium  ;  Brussels ;  thence  to  Cologne,  Germany  ;  up  the 
Rhine  to  Bierbich  ;  Frankfurt.  Heidelberg,  Nuremberg,  Munich  and 


OR,  TWO  YANKEES  IN  EUROPE.  43 

a  general  tour  of  Switzerland,  ending  at  Geneva;  thence  to  Paris, 
with  the  privilege  of  a  stop  over  at  the  Dijon  ;  Paris  to  London,  where 
two  weeks  will  be  allowed  to  visit  the  city  ;  thence  to  Cambridge, 
Hampton  Court,  Windsor,  Oxford,  Warwick,  Stratford-on-Avon, 
Chester  and  Liverpool. 

Of  course  the  above  trip  can  be  varied.  The  tourist  can  disembark 
at  Queenstown  and  go  through  Ireland,  crossing  from  Belfast  to  Glas- 
gow and  do  Scotland,  and  then  come  down  to  London,  if  he  prefers, 
before  going  on  the  continent,  or  else  go  directly  on  the  continent. 

The  continental  trip  can  be  taken  by  going  directly  from  Frank- 
furt to  Leipsic,  Berlin,  and  thence  southward  to  Vienna,  and  then  into 
Italy  on  the  way  to  Switzerland.  In  this  instance,  of  course,  Heidel- 
berg, Nuremberg  and  Munich  would  be  omitted  from  the  trip. 

We  ware  riding  through  a  beautiful  country  park,  when  our  atten- 
tion was  called  to  some  blackbirds. 

"What  kinds  of  birds  are  those?"  asked  the  Captain. 

"English  sparrows,"  was  the  reply  from  one  of  our  party. 

"Is  that  so  ?"  remarked  the  first  speaker.  "Why,  in  our  country 
we  never  saw  a  black  English  sparrow,  and  never  a  quarter  as  large  as 
these." 

The  barber  shops  of  Great  Britain,  and  I  might  as  well  include  the 
continent,  are  a  curiosity.  The  chairs  are  little,  low,  stiff-backed 
seats,  in  which  the  customer  squats  himself  and  has  his  head  jerked 
back  with  his  face  directed  to  the  celling.  The  barber  applies  a  little 
lather,  runs  over  your  face  with  a  razor  and  then  hands  you  a  towel 
with  which  you  go  to  the  wash  basin,  clean  your  face,  comb  your  hair 
and  depart.  The  cost  for  such  a  luxurious  shave  as  this  is  all  the  way 
from  four  to  six  cents,  yet,  as  my  friend,  the  Captain,  said,  "it  was 
dear  at  any  price." 

What  would  an  American  tourist  think  if  he  were  obliged  to  carry 
his  bathtub  with  him  ?  Yet,  standing  in  the  smoking  room  of  my 
hotel,  while  in  London,  I  saw  a  carriage  drive  up  in  front  of  an  ele- 
gant mansion,  where  some  of  the  family  were  about  to  go  on  a  journey, 
for  their  baggage  was  brought  out  and  with  it  a  portable  bathtub.  It 
is  not  an  uncommon  thing  for  families  to  carry  this  necessary  article 
with  them  while  touring  in  Europe. 

An  interesting  incident  came  to  my  observation  while  I  was  in 
Low's  Exchange,  Northumberland  avenue,  London.  It  was  shortly 


.2 


OR,  TWO  YANKEES  IN  EUROPE.  45 

after  the  passage  of  the  Dingley  bill  that  I  met  two  ladies  here,  evi- 
dently mother  and  daughter.  They  were  from  Cincinnati,  for  they 
were  reading  Cincinnati  papers.  The  mother  finally  stopped  short  in 
perusing  her  paper  and  addressing  her  daughter  said  : 

"Maria,  look  here,   'The  buggy  business  is  picking  up,  and  every- 
thing indicates  a  prosperous  season.'     That  is  good  news  for  us. " 
Maria  glanced  at  her  mother,  and  in  return  said  : 
"Maw,  I  am  going  to  have  that  diamond  ring,  sure." 
And  from  the  look  on  maw's  face,   I  am  sure  that  Maria  got  her 

ring- 
While  in  London  I  visited  an  art  store  and  was  much  interested  in 
a  gentleman  and  lady  who  came  in  while  I  was  there.  I  spotted  them 
at  once  as  fellow  countrymen  of  mine.  They  wanted  to  buy  some 
pictures.  They  looked  over  quite  a  number  and  the  dealer  was 
explaining  to  them  the  merits  of  a  number  of  landscapes  about  18x24 
inches  ;n  size  that  were  indeed  very  handsome  pictures  and  were 
painted  by  well-known  artists.  They,  however,  did  not  please  the 
lady.  She  insisted  that  what  she  wanted  was  a  "big  painting."  She 
did  not  care  who  the  artist  was,  as  long  as  it  was  a  good-looking  pic- 
ture and  was  "large  in  size. "  I  did  not  ask  them  where  they  came 
from,  but  I  am  under  the  impression  that  they  were  Chicagoans. 

I  met  a  friend  of  mine  in  London  who  had  a  curiosity  to  show  me. 
It  was  nothing  more  nor  less  than  a  string  of  beads  that  he  had 
bought  at  the  Vatican  at  Rome  and  which  he  treasured  very  highly. 
It  seems  that  he  paid  $2  for  the  beads  and  that  the  owner  of  the  stand 
or  booth  where  he  bought  them,  informed  him  that  if  he  was  willing  to 
pay  $3  more  and  would  wait  a  few  minutes,  he  would  take  them  in  and 
have  the  Pope  bless  them.  My  friend  was  only  too  glad  to  pay  the 
extra  amount,  and  the  result  was  that  in  about  ten  minutes  the  dealer 
returned  with  the  beads  and  the  $3  extra  was  paid,  and  the  best  part 
of  the  story  was  that  he  believed  the  Pope  had  blessed  them.  I  sug- 
gested that  a  sign  might  be  placed  up  on  the  Vatican,  something  after 
this  style,  "Beads  Blessed  for  $3  from  9  to  10  A.  M.  and  from  3  to  4 
p.  M.  This  for  the  Benefit  of  Americans  Only." 

After  doing  London  thoroughly,  we  prepared  to  make  our  way  for 
the  Continent.     On  the  day  before  our  departure,  the  Captain  asked 
me  in  which  direction  we  were  bound. 
"To  Holland,"  I  replied. 


46  MY  FRIEND,   THE  CAPTAIN  ; 

"Where?"  asked  the  Captain. 

'•To  Holland." 

"Holland,  Holland,"  remarked  the  Captain.  "Now,  old  man, 
remember  one  thing,  do  not  ask  me  to  take  a  glass  of  gin.  That  is 
something  I  never  touch,"  and  the  Captain  felt  happy  in  the  thought 
that  he  had  given  me  a  temperance  lecture,  as  we  were  about  to  entei 
Holland. 


OR,    TWO   YANKEES   IN    EUROPE.  47 


CHAPTER  IV. 
Doing  Quaint  Old  Holland. 

1  I  I  HE  Captain  is  a  great  lover  of  art  and  decided  to  invest  in  a  few 

v  I  is     pictures.     In  making  his  selection  there  was  one  byFradille, 

JL         an   Italian   artist,    which   very  much   pleased  the   Captain. 

When  I  met  him  at  the  hotel  on  the  evening  of  the  purchase, 

he  came  up  to  me  and  remarked  : 

"  I  tell  you  I  have  got  one  of  the  finest  pictures  in  the  country, 
and,  moreover,  it  is  by  that  celebrated  artist,  Fra  Diavolo." 

"  What  land  is  this  that  seems  to  be 

A  mingling:  of  the  land  and  sea  ? 

This  land  of  sluices,  dykes  and  dunes  ? 

This  water-net  that  tessellates 

The  landscape  ?  This  winding  maze 

Of  gardens,  through  whose  latticed  gates 

The  imprisoned  pinks  and  tulips  gaze  ; 

There  in  long  summer  afternoons 

The  sunshine,  softened  by  the  haze, 

Comes  streaming  down  as  through  a  screen  ; 

Where  over  fields  and  pastures  green 

The  painted  ships  float  high  in  air. 

And  over  all  and  everywhere 

The  sails  of  windmills  sink  and  soar 

Like  wings  of  sea-gulls  on  the  shore  ?" 

So  sang  the  poet. 

The  old  saying  that  "  God  made  the  world,  but  the  Dutch  made 
Holland  "  was  well  put.  The  American  tourist  who  visits  the  conti- 
nent and  misses  Holland,  is  like  seeing  the  play  of  Hamlet  with 
Hamlet  left  out.  Here  is  one  of  the  most  interesting  countries  on  the 
other  side  of  the  water.  Leaving  London  via  Harwich  (pronounced 
Harrich)  at  8:30  p.  M.,  the  Parkestine  Quay,  where  the  boat  leaves  for 
the  Hook  of  Holland,  is  reached  at  9:58,  and  immediately  the  steamer 
departs  and  at  8:30  the  next  morning  you  are  at  Rotterdam,  a  city  of 
235,000  population  and  located  on  the  right  bank  of  the  Maas.  Rot- 
terdam is  the  second  largest  city  and  the  chief  port  of  Holland,  and 
has  wonderful  advantages  as  a  harbor.  The  streets,  a  novel  and 


•3 

•ft 

H 


OR,   TWO  YANKEES  IN  EUROPE.  49 

picturesque  combination  of  water,  bridges  and  trees,  delight  the 
visitor.  Many  of  the  canals  are  so  deep  that  ocean  vessels  go  through 
them  in  safety. 

On  arrival  here  we  took  a  carriage  and  enjoyed  a  two  hours'  ride 
over  the  city.  Among  the  interesting  places  visited  was  the  Groote 
Market,  where  the  peasantry  were  to  be  seen  at  their  best,  dressed  in 
their  quaint  Dutch  costumes  and  wooden  shoes.  The  market  wagons 
were  such  as  our  street  hucksters  use,  and  were  propelled  by  dogs 
which  were  hitched  up  under  the  vehicle.  Fruit  and  vegetables  were 
here  in  abundance,  fresh,  clean  and  cheap.  A  basket,  holding  at 
least  eight  quarts,  of  the  most  delicious  strawberries,  and  some  of  them 
as  large  as  a  half  dollar,  could  be  bought  for  twenty-five  cents.  Here 
in  this  market  place  once  stood  an  old  corner  house,  known  as  "  The 
House  of  the  Thousand  Terrors."  In  1572  when  by  stratagem  the 
Spanish  entered  the  town  and  massacred  its  people,  a  thousand  of 
them  sought  refuge  here,  put  up  the  shutters  and  barred  the  entrance, 
and  killing  a  kid,  let  the  blood  run  out  under  the  doorway.  The 
Spaniards  seeing  the  red  stream,  concluded  that  the  inmates  had  been 
dispatched,  and  passed  on. 

There  is  a  good  picture  gallery  here,  but  the  subjects  are  not  near 
so  fine  as  at  The  Hague  or  Amsterdam.  From  Rotterdam  we  took 
the  cars,  and  one  hour's  ride  brought  us  to  The  Hague,  positively  the 
most  beautiful  spot  in  Holland.  The  Hague  has  a  population  of 
180,000,  and  near  here  is  the  permanent  residence  of  the  child-queen, 
Wilhelmina.  The  city  is  lined  with  broad,  clean  streets,  many  canals 
and  most  beautiful  and  artistic  residences.  While  Amsterdam  is  the 
commercial  capital  of  Holland,  The  Hague  is  the  seat  of  the  govern- 
ment. Here  is  the  residence  of  the  Dutch  court,  the  headquarters  of 
Parliament  and  the  abode  of  foreign  ministers.  From  The  Hague  in 
1660  sailed  Charles  II.  on  his  restoration  to  the  British  throne,  and 
twenty-two  years  later  William  III.  of  Orange  left  the  city  for  Eng- 
land to  take  up  the  English  crown  and  become  William  III.  of  Great 
Britain. 

The  Binnenhof,  an  irregular  brick  building,  was  once  a  castle  of 
the  courts  of  Holland.  Within  the  courts  of  this  place  is  the  Hall  of 
the  Knights.  Opposite  this  hall,  one  beautiful  morning  in  May,  1619, 
Johannes  Van  Oldenbarneveld,  prime  minister  of  Holland,  was  put  to 
death  by  command  of  Prince  Maurice  of  Nassau,  who  was  then  stadt- 


OR,   TWO  YANKEES  IN   EUROPE.  51 

holder.  The  story  is  told  how  for  years  the  prince  and  Johannes 
lived  on  terms  of  friendship  and  worked  together  for  the  good  of  their 
country,  but  bitter  theological  differences  poisoned  Prince  Maurice 
against  his  old  friend,  and  led  to  the  latter's  death. 

At  the  northeast  of  the  Binnenhof  is  the  famous  gallery  of  art, 
once  the  residence  of  the  prince.  Among  the  notable  subjects  here  is 
Paul  Potter's  "  The  Bull,"  which  was  removed  by  Napoleon  to  Paris, 
when  he  invaded  this  city  in  1795.  Later  it  was  returned.  Some  of 
Rembrandt's  masterpieces  are  displayed  here,  "The  Lesson,  in 
Anatomy"  being  one  of  them. 

While  at  The  Hague,  the  Captain  went  into  a  barber  shop  to  get 
shaved.  After  the  operation  was  completed  the  barber  asked  him  if 
he  would  have  some  corrispitsa  on  his  face.  The  Captain  looked  at 
him  for  a  moment  and  replied  : 

"  No,  sir,  I  never  use  kerosene  on  my  face." 

It  will  repay  a  visitor  to  Holland  to  take  in  the  stores  and  notice 
the  methods  of  doing  business  in  this  quaint  country.  Some  of  the 
wares  are  cheap.  This  is  the  home  for  delft,  and  it  can  be  purchased 
here  for  about  one-half  the  price  in  the  United  States.  To  the  smoker 
this  is  the  paradise  for  a  good  and  yet  a  cheap  cigar,  as  there  is  no 
duty  on  tobacco  in  Holland.  I  went  into  one  of  the  cigar  stores 
and  asked  for  a  twenty-five  cent  cigar  (ten  cents  in  our  money),  I 
thought  the  attendant  had  a  case  of  heart  disease.  Ten  cents  ( four 
in  our  money )  is  considered  a  high  price  to  pay  for  a  cigar  while  a 
really  good  smoke  can  be  had  for  five  cents,  two  American  coppers. 

Probably  the  most  interesting  place  to  visit  at  The  Hague  is  the 
"  Little  Palace  in  the  Woods"  so  styled.  This  gem  of  a  spot  is  about 
a  mile  and  a  half  from  the  center  of  the  city.  It  is  a  royal  villa,  and 
was  built  by  the  widow  of  Prince  Frederic  of  Orange.  The  drive 
from  the  main  road  is  through  an  avenue  shaded  by  tall  trees,  and  is 
almost  like  fairyland.  The  walls  and  ceilings  of  the  main  hall,  or 
dance  room,  are  covered  with  paintings  made  to  fit  the  spaces.  This 
work  is  all  of  the  Rubens  school,  and  is  something  remarkable.  The 
property  belongs  to  the  crown. 

Three  miles  from  The  Hague  is  Scheveningen,  the  leading  water- 
ing place  of  Holland.  It  is  easily  reached  by  a  fine  line  of  steam  tram 
cars,  and  the  ride  is  a  delightful  one.  The  scene  on  the  beach  is  cer- 
tainly an  animated  one,  and  the  general  surroundings  are  the  same  as 


OR,   TWO  YANKEES  IN  EUROPE.  53 

any  of  our  popular  watering  resorts.  The  day  we  were  there  occurred 
the  "procession  of  the  flowers,"  taken  part  in  by  vehicles  of  all 
sorts  gaily  dressed  with  a  profusion  of  beautiful  flowers,  ribbons,  etc. 

From  The  Hague  we  went  to  Amsterdam,  the  commercial  capital  of 
Holland,  with  a  population  of  450,000,  and  the  largest  city  in  the 
kingdom.  Tourists  say  that  Amsterdam  rivals  Venice  for  its  canals. 
The  city  is  bui  t  on  piles,  and  covers  no  less  than  ninety  islands,  con- 
nected by  over  three  hundred  bridges.  It  is  located  on  the  river  Wije 
(pronounced  Wy).  The  most  important  thing  to  consider  is,  that  the 
waters  of  the  canals  have  to  be  kept  on  the  move,  so  they  will  not 
become  impure,  while  it  is  even  more  important  that  they  have  to  be 
kept  in  check,  to  prevent  the  city  from  becoming  inundated.  This  is 
all  done  by  a  system  of  sluices  and  dykes. 

At  Amsterdam  the  Captain's  attention  was  attracted  to  a  sign  over 
a  door  that  read  "Tehuur. "  "There,"  said  he,  "that  is  your  name  in 
Dutch."  When  he  had  the  word  translated,  he  found  it  meant  "To 
Let." 

The  royal  palace  is  located  on  the  west  side  of  the  Dam  (the  Dam 
is  the  main  square  of  the  city,  and  is  located  in  the  heart  of  the  same). 
This  building  has  no  front  entrance,  but,  as  the  Irishman  said,  "the 
front  door  is  behind."  The  palace  was  presented  to  King  Louis 
Napoleon  in  1808,  when  he  made  this  city  his  home.  The  principal 
sight  in  a  tour  of  the  inside  is  the  main  hall  or  dance  room,  which  is 
60x120  feet,  and  100  feet  high,  without  a  single  column  of  support. 
It  is  said  to  be  the  largest  room  of  its  kind  in  Europe. 

The  leading  art  gallery  is  the  Rijks  Museum  (pronounced  Ryks). 
It  has  a  fine  collection  of  paintings  mostly  of  the  Dutch  school. 
"The  Night  Watch, "  by  Rembrandt,  and  "Filial  Love,"  said  to  be 
next  to  Rubens'  masterpiece,  are  to  be  seen  here.  In  addition  to  the 
gallery  there  is  connected  with  the  Rijks  a  fine  museum  of  historic 
relics. 

The  diamond  cutting  industry  is  the  chief  business  of  the  city,  and 
employs  about  50,000  hands,  of  which  i.>,ooo  are  Jews.  The  Jewish 
population  of  the  city  is  about  40,000,  and  they  have  their  own  special 
quarter  where  they  live. 

While  I  am  writing  about  Holland  it  might  be  well  to  say  a  word 
about  its  girl  queen,  Wilhelmina,  who  on  'her  eighteenth  birthday, 
August  31,  1898,  will  be  crowned  Queen  of  Holland.  '  Wilhelmina  is 


a 

I 


OR,   TWO  YANKEES  IN   EUROPE.  55 

the  last  of  the  House  of  Orange,  a  house  made  famous  three  hundred 
years  ago,  through  the  bold  military  achievements  of  its  greatest 
member,  Wi  Ham  the  Silent.  King  William  III.,  the  father  of  the 
quesu,  spent  the  greater  part  of  his  life  in  wild  dissipation.  In  1839 
he  married  Princess  Sophia  of  Saxony.  At  this  time  he  was  Prince 
of  Orange,  but  after  ten  years  had  passed  he  became  king,  and  the 
fortune  he  received  is  said  to  have  nearly  turned  his  head,  and  he 
plunged  into  all  sorts  of  dissipation,  and  finally  alienated  himself 
from  his  queen,  whom  he  falsely  accused  of  plotting  with  Emperor 
Napoleon  to  depose  him  and  make  her  queen  regent.  Shortly  after 
she  died  and  left  two  sons.  The  oldest,  the  Prince  of  Orange,  ruined 
his  health  and  died,  afte.  a  reckless  life  in  Paris,  while  the  other  son, 
who  was  of  unsound  mind,  soon  followed  his  brother  to  the  grave. 
Left  without  an  heir,  the  king,  who  was  fast  aging,  began  to  look 
around  for  a  wife,  and  finally  decided  on  the  Duchess  of  Albany,  who 
refused  him.  It  is  said  that  when  this  refusal  was  made  known,  her 
sister  Emma  made  this  remark  to  her  :  "Helen,  I  would  never  refuse 
to  become  a  queen."  The  king,  overhearing  this  remark,  was  pi  eased 
with  the  same,  and  addressed  his  offer  of  marriage  to  her,  and  true  to 
her  word  she  accepted  him  and  became  Queen  Emma.  The  king 
was  sixty-eight  years  and  his  wife  nineteen  years  old.  She  bore  him 
one  child,  Wilhelmina,  and  nursed  him  carefully  until  his  death  in 
1890.  A  few  years  before  his  death,  at  a  council  of  the  States 
General,  he  obtained  the  setting  aside  of  the  old  Salic  law,  which  for- 
bade a  female  heir  to  succeed  to  the  throne,  and  upon  his  death  Wil- 
helmina became  queen,  and  her  mother  was  appointed  queen  regent 
until  she  attained  her  majority.  Under  the  faithful  care  of  her 
mother  Wilhelniina  has  developed  into  a  healthy,  lovable  girl,  and 
won  the  hearts  of  her  Dutch  subjects. 

While  visiting  the  Rijhs  Gallery  at  Amsterdam,  the  attendant  was 
describing  at  some  length  Rembrandt's  remarkable  picture  of  "The 
Night  Watch."  The  Captain  looked  on.  but  his  patriotism  got  the 
best  of  him,  for  he  whispered  to  me,  "  It  may  have  been  a  big  fight 
but  it  didn't  stand  a  show  beside  the  Battle  of  Bull  Run." 

July  4.  1897,  saw  a  part}'  of  thirty  American  citixens  and  ''citizen- 
esses"  at  the  Hotel  Amstel,  Amsterdam,  Holland.  As  our  National 
fete  day  came  on  Sunday  we  determined  to  celebrate  it  on  Monday. 
The  stars  and  stripes  floated  all  day  the  4th  and  5th  from  the  top  of 


I 

1 

I 


OR,   TWO  YANKEES  IN   EUROPE.  57 

the  hotel  and  we  would  occasionally  go  outside  to  catch  a  glimpse  of 
"Old  Glory."  Monday  morning  a  breakfast  was  prepared  in  the 
main  dining  hall,  and  we  marched  in  at  promptly  9  o'clock.  There  a 
surprise  awaited  us.  The  hall  was  beautifully  decorated  with  our  flags 
and  the  table  was  covered  with  not  only  little  emblems  of  our  pride 
but  beautiful  flowers,  and  then  sat  down  thirty  live  Yankees  as  full 
of  patriotism  as  if  we  had  been  at  home.  After  the  repast,  it  became 
my  lot  to  take  the  head  of  the  table,  and  conduct  the  feast  to  come. 
Addresses  were  made  by  my  friend  the  Captain,  and  others,  but  the 
Captain  gave  us  a  regular  Fourth -of -July  oration. 

So  much  from  our  visit  to  Deutschland. 

At  our  hotel  in  Amsterdam  the  Captain  got  in  conversation  with 
an  Englishman.  During  the  talk  the  Captain  mentioned  Boston,  and 
his  companion  asked  him  ' '  if  Boston  was  in  New  York. ' '  I  could  see 
my  companion  was  lying  in  wait  for  sweet  revenge.  It  came  sooner 
than  I  expected,  for  the  Englishman  asked  the  Captain  something 
about  London.  "  London,  London, "  answered  the  Captain,  "where 
is  London  ?" 

And  I  had  nearly  three  months  to  look  ahead,  and  the  Captain  was 
to  be  with  me  all  that  time. 


GO 

tJ 


" 


OR,   TWO  YANKEES  IN   EUROPE.  59 


CHAPTER  V. 
Antwerp,  Brussels  and  Cologne. 

I  HAVE   had   more  trouble  with  the  Captain.     He  insists  I  am  no 
kind   of  a  man  to  go  around  with,    "  as  I  walk  too  much,"  yet 
sometimes  I   feel  like  flying.     While  at  the  Antwerp  gallery  we 
were  shown  De  Vriendt's  celebrated  painting  of  "  The  Judgment 
of  Solomon,"     Our  guide  was  telling  us  about  this  wonderful  work  of 
art,  and  I  found  myself  lost  in  rapture,  but  quickly  recovered  myself, 
when  the  Captain  gave  me  a  punch  and  asked  :  "  Do  you  suppose  this 
picture  refers  to  my  friend  Salomon,  the  leather  manufacturer  ?  " 

Before  I  give  the  story  of  my  stay  in  Antwerp,  Brussels  and 
Cologne,  it  may  be  interesting  to  know  this  chapter  is  written  in  my 
room  at  the  Hotel  Disch,  Cologne,  with  the  great  spires  of  the  cathe- 
dral before  my  eyes.  It  is  a  beautiful  July  afternoon.  Tired  with  the 
sights  of  the  city,  I  have  repaired  to  my  hotel,  thrown  open  the  sashes 
of  my  window,  and  seated  myself  at  a  desk  directly  in  front  of  it,  and 
within  possibly  500  feet  of  this  great  historic  church.  The  summer 
sun  casts  its  brilliant  rays  over  one  of  the  most  magnificent  piles  in 
all  Europe. 

L,eaving  Amsterdam,  after  a  ride  of  four  hours,  we  arrived  at  Ant- 
werp, the  second  largest  city  in  Belgium,  with  a  population  of  250,000. 
Antwerp  has  special  facilities  as  a  commercial  center,  and  by  a  splendid 
system  of  docks  made  by  Napoleon  I.,  can  accommodate  2000  ships. 
The  arms  of  the  city  are  two  hands,  representing  ant,  a  hand,  werpen, 
to  throw,  which  were  derived  from  a  certain  giant,  Antigonus,  who 
cut  off  the  hands  of  those  who  would  not  pay  toll,  and  threw  them 
into  the  river.  This  is  said  to  have  been  continued  by  him  until  he 
was  conquered  by  another  giant,  Brabo. 

The  churches  here  are  embellished  with  some  of  the  best  produc- 
tions of  Rubens,  Van  Dyck,  and  others.  In  the  Notre  Dame  can  be 
seen  "The  Descent  from  the  Cross,"  Rubens'  masterpiece.  The 
original  is  a  small  picture,  and  is  to  be  seen  in  the  gallery.  It  was 


OR,   TWO  YANKEES  IN   EUROPE.  6l 

after  the  completion  of  this  that  Rubens  painted  the  large  one. 
Here  is  also  ' '  The  Elevation  of  the  Cross, ' '  also  by  Rubens,  and  the 
"  Assumption  of  the  Virgin,"  by  the  same  artist,  possibly  15x25  feet, 
with  thirty -two  life-size  faces.  This  great  work  was  completed  in  just 
sixteen  days.  The  center  of  the  dome  was  nine  months  in  completing, 
and  was  done  by  an  artist  who  lay  on  his  back.  This  dome  is  133 
meters  high,  and  is  reached  by  a  staircase  of  622  steps.  The  chimes 
are  among  the  most  curious  in  Europe,  and  consist  of  99  bells,  on 
which  any  selection  can  be  played,  or,  as  it  was  explained  to  me  by 
my  guide,  '•  It  plays  every  known  tune,  either  sacred  or  profane." 
Rubens  died  here  in  1640,  and  was  buried  in  St.  Jacques  Church.  The 
Antwerp  art  gallery  contains  many  notable  pictures  by  celebrated 
artists,  and  many  representations  of  the  Flemish  school. 

In  our  party  were  two  charming  ladies  from  the  West.  They 
shopped  and  shopped  galore.  While  at  Antwerp  they  purchased  $175 
worth  of  lace.  Some  of  the  party  gave  them  a  short  lecture  on  their 
extravagance. 

' '  Why, ' '  was  the  reply,  ' '  we  are  all  right.  The  cost  of  this  trip 
*was  defrayed  by  our  father  as  a  present,  and  our  husbands  gave  us 
each  $500  to  spend." 

"  Such  being  the  case,"  replied  the  first  party,  "  you  ought  to  take 
them  both  a  present. ' ' 

' '  We  are  going  to  do  so,  and  have  selected  what  we  propose  to 
take,  and  expect  to  buy  them  this  afternoon,"  was  the  answer. 

That  evening,  in  the  court  yard  of  the  hotel,  the  ladies  were  dis- 
playing the  presents  bought  for  husband  and  father.  "  Here  is  a 
meerschaum  pipe  for  my  husband.  Isn't  it  lovely?"  exclaimed  one. 
"  And  to  think,  it  only  cost  $  1.20.  I  saw  a  beauty  for  $2.50,  but  I  did 
not  feel  like  paying  so  much.  Then  we  bought  this  elegant  piece  of 
bronze  for  papa,  the  dear  old  soul ;  he  paid  all  our  expenses  on  this 
trip." 

"  What  aid  we  pay  for  that,  Ella  ?"  asked  the  other. 

"  Three  dollars, "  was  the  reply.  "And  have  you  got  Charley's 
present?" 

"Yes;  I  bought  him  this  lovely  necktie  for  two  francs  (forty 
cents ) .  I  know  he  will  be  pleased  with  it. ' ' 

The  Captain  nudged  me  and  remarked  that  there  was  a  case  where 
the  "  loved  ones  at  home"  were  not  forgotten. 


tt, 


OR,    TWO   YANKEES   IN   EUROPE.  63 

The  Plantin  Museum  is  located  here,  and  is  the  only  one  of  its 
kind  in  existence.  Christopher  Plantin  was  the  first  great  printer 
known,  and  was  the  publisher  of  the  early  different  translations  of  the 
Bible  in  all  the  different  languages.  He  also  published  all  religious 
works  of  the  King  of  Spain,  Philip  II.  The  house  has  been  preserved 
in  exactly  the  state  in  which  it  was  left  over  300  years  ago,  with  its 
different  workshops,  etc.,  and  here  are  shown  the  original  manuscripts, 
publications,  presses,  type,  wood  cuts  and  proofs  copperplates  and 
proofs,  in  their  original  state. 

Antwerp  is  adorned  with  a  system  of  fine  boulevards  and  squares, 
that  make  an  interesting  sight  in  a  two  hours'  drive  over  trie  city. 

I/ess  than  one  hour's  ride  from  Antwerp,  we  reach  Brussels,  the 
capital  of  Belgium,  the  largest  city  in  the  kingdom,  with  a  population 
of  500,000,  well  called  "  The  Little  Paris,"  and  by  many  tourists  said 
to  be  the  gayest  city  in  Europe  next  to  the  French  capital.  A  visit 
to  the  Hotel  de  Ville  will  repay  one.  This  magnificent  building  was 
erected  in  the  fifteenth  century.  It  is  gothic  in  its  architectural  style, 
and  is  200x165  feet,  with  a  spire  364  feet  high.  The  architect  hanged 
himself  in  the  door  of  the  spire  after  the  building  was  completed  on 
account  of  not  getting  the  spire  in  the  center  of  the  building.  The 
Hotel  de  Ville  is  the  town  or  city  hall  of  Brussels.  The  aldermanic 
chamber  is  small  but  magnificent  in  all  its  appointments.  The  walls 
are  hung  in  tapestries  three  hundred  years  old,  while  the  ceiling  was 
painted  by  one  of  the  old  masters.  Leading  out  of  this  are  ante-rooms 
all  finely  and  elaborately  furnished  with  old  tapestried  walls.  The 
next  room  that  attracts  attention  is  "the  marriage  hall.'  Here  all 
who  marry  in  Brussels,  must  come.  The  mayor  ties  the  knot.  There 
are  two  entrances  one  for  the  rich  for  which  "  all  who  enter"  must 
pay  one  hundred  francs  ($20)  which  fee  goes  to  the  poor  and  another 
entrance  for  the  poor.  There  is  no  fee  for  the  ceremony. 

The  Captain  had  got  tired  of  having  this  and  that  picture  by 
Rubens  explained  and  described.  When  we  got  to  Brussels  and  drove 
up  in  front  of  the  Wirtz  gallery,  the  Captain  asked  me,  "  What  place 
is  this?"  I  told  him,  and  as  we  alighted,  he  asked.  "  Is  there  any  of 
old  Robbins'  pictures  in  here  ?  If  so,  I  want  to  skip  them." 

The  Wirtz  gallery  contains  some  of  the  most  remarkable  paintings 
in  Europe,  largely  of  an  allegorical  nature,  many  hideous  in  design 
yet  interesting  to  the  lover  of  art.  The  residence  of  King  Leopold  II. 


I 


OR,   TWO  YANKEES  IN  EUROPE.  65 

is  a  fine  old  palace,  pleasantly  situated  at  the  head  of  a  parkway,  and 
a  main  thoroughfare  runs  through  the  center  of  the  park  to  the 
Houses  of  Parliament  which  face  the  palace.  Adjoining  the  residence 
of  the  king  is  that  of  his  brother,  the  Count  of  Flanders. 

He  who  visits  Brussels  and  does  not  go  out  to  the  battlefield  of 
Waterloo,  misses  one  of  the  greatest  historic  sights  in  Europe.  We  of 
the  nineteenth  century  can  hardly  believe  that  so  famous  a  fight  was 
fought  iu  such  a  small  compass,  a  space  of  probably  not  over  half  a 
mile  square.  It  was  not  a  battle  of  guns  and  cannons,  but  a  hand  to 
hand  fight.  This  spot  may  be  reached  in  two  different  ways.  The 
first  by  carriage  ride,  passing  the  old  church  where  are  erected  twenty- 
eight  tombs  in  memory  of  English,  German  and  Hanoverian  officers 
who  fell  at  the  battle.  The  second  route  is  by  rail  direct. 

Arr  ving  at  Waterloo,  the  first  thing  that  attracts  one's  attention  is 
a  mound  in  the  center  erected  to  secure  a  better  view  of  the  place. 
This  is  ascended  by  225  steps  ;  on  the  extreme  top  in  the  center  is  a 
large  monument  of  a  lion.  From  here  is  obtained  a  fine  view  of  the 
whole  field.  Directly  in  front  of  you,  after  you  reach  the  summit, 
you  will  find  between  the  Chaussee  de  Nivelles  and  the  Chaussee  de 
Charleroi  the  Hollow  of  Ohain,  so  called.  This  is  the  spot  where  so 
many  French  cuirassiers  fell  in  the  early  stages  of  the  battle.  Right 
and  left  are  the  obelisques  erected  to  the  memory  of  the  Hanoverian 
officers  and  the  column  recalling  the  death  of  Lieut.-Col.  Alex.  Gordon, 
aide  de  camp  to  Wellington,  who  had  taken  up  his  position  about 
here.  A  little  beyond,  in  the  direction  of  the  village  of  Waterloo,  is 
the  farm  of  Mont  St.  Jean,  which  was  turned  into  a  hospital  during 
the  battle.  Close  by  lies  buried  the  leg  of  Lord  Uxbridge,  which  he 
lost  in  the  fight,  and  ordered  buried  here  himself.  On  the  other  side, 
to  the  right,  near  the  Chaussee  de  Nivelles  is  the  Hougomont  farm 
where  the  first  shots  of  the  battle  were  exchanged,  and  where  traces 
of  the  bloody  encounter  are  still  discernible.  This  is  the  point  where 
the  French,  leaning  on  the  old  guard,  began  to  develop  themselves, 
confronting  in  the  distance,  to  the  left,  Wellington's  lines.  Immedi- 
ately to  the  right  stands  the  farm  of  Belle  Alliance,  the  place  where 
Wellington  and  Blucher  met  after  their  victory.  To  the  left  of  this 
farm  is  the  monument  erected  to  the  Prussian  officers  who  fell,  and 
beyond  this  is  the  village  of  Plancenoit,  where  Napoleon  stood. 

In  our  civil  war  there  were  many  battles  fought  that  for  numbers 
pf  soldiers  and  intense  fighting  far  surpassed  that  of  Waterloo,  but 


ft 

u 


o 

TJ 


U. 


OR,   TWO  YANKEES  IN  EUROPE.  67 

lor  fierceness,  probably  nothing  of  its  kind  has  occurred  since  that 
memorable  contest. 

They  say  it  is  the  custom  at  continental  hotels,  where  the  tourist 
does  not  tip  liberally  to  place  the  hotel  labels  on  the  baggage  down 
in  the  corner  and  upside  down.  The  Captain  heard  of  this  and  it  was 
with  pride  that  he  exhibited  his  trunks  and  bags  to  his  fellow  passen- 
gers and  told  them  that  every  label  was  on  uniformly,  with  the  right 
side  up. 

"There  is  not  a  mean  hair  in  my  head,"  Said  the  Captain. 

And  if  the  Captain  ever  spoke  the  truth,  it  was  on  this  occasion. 

Cologne  has  a  population  of  over  300,000,  yet  one  would  think  it 
scarcely  so  large  by  a  tour  of  the  city.  I  snppose  this  is  the  most 
Catholic  city  in  Germany.  In  former  years  it  was  the  seat  of  these 
people,  being  one  of  the  oldest  cities  in  central  Europe,  dating  back 
before  the  FYankish  kings  of  460.  In  1350  the  Jews  were  expelled 
from  here,  and  the  city  was  walled  in. 

It  is  indeed  interesting  to  walk  around  the  business  portion  and 
view  the  stores,  most  of  which  are  modern  and  up  to  date,  yet  there 
are  portions  of  the  city  that  still  show  signs  of  its  antiquity.  Of 
course  the  most  interesting  object  here  is  the  Dom  or  cathedral,  said 
to  be  one  of  the  finest  in  the  world.  St.  Peter's  at  Rome  and  St. 
Paul's  at  London  are  both  magnificent  specimens  of  architecture,  the 
former  the  largest,  and  the  latter  the  third  largest  in  size  in  the  world, 
the  second  being  the  cathedral  at  Milan  ;  but  something  in  the  gran- 
deur of  the  Dom  surpasses  all  these.  Commenced  on  Aug.  14,  1248, 
the  building  was  just  632  years  in  process  of  completion,  as  it  was  not 
finished  until  Aug.  14,  1880.  It  is  496  feet  long  and  238  feet  wide 
through  the  transept.  It  is  built  in  the  shape  of  a  cross,  and  is  200 
feet  high.  The  stained  glass  windows  are  its  chief  ornamentation, 
as  there  are  no  oil  paintings  of  note  here.  The  many  windows  and 
the  artistic  design  of  the  glass  arch  are  worth  going  many  a  mile  to 
see. 

Looking  out  upon  this  magnificent  structure,  which  looms  up  be- 
fore me  as  I  write,  I  am  reminded  of  the  legend  of  its  architecture,  so 
different  from  that  of  other  cathedrals.  It  is  a  story  well  worth 
repeating. 

The  great  Dom  or  cathedral  was  built,  so  tradition  says,  about  the 
middle  of  the  thirteenth  century,  by  Conrad  of  Hochsteden,  then 


Cathedral  at  Cologne. 


OR,  TWO  YANKEES  IN  EUROPE.  69 

Archbishop  of  Cologne,  who  resolved  to  erect  the  largest  and  most 
magnificent  temple  in  the  world  ;  so  he  began  to  look  around  for  an 
architect,  and  finally  secured  one  right  at  home.  This  architect  was 
commissioned  to  draw  plans  and  given  one  year  in  which  to  complete 
them.  He  labored  for  ten  months,  and  at  the  expiration  of  that  time 
his  work  was  as  unsatisfactory  to  the  Archbishop  as  it  was  to  him- 
self. Time  passed  and  the  year  was  nearly  up.  The  architect  was  in 
despair.  Three  days  before  the  time  appointed  to  meet  his  employer, 
he  wandered  into  the  forests  of  Siebengebirge,  disconsolate  and  al- 
most heartbroken,  for  he  had  hoped  to  build  a  church  that  would  not 
only  have  been  a  monument  for  the  world  to  look  at,  but  would 
honor  himself  as  well.  Night  drew  on  and  a  fearful  tempest  raged  ; 
no  object  could  be  seen,  so  fierce  was  the  darkness,  yet  this  did  not 
disturb  him  half  so  much  as  the  thoughts  of  the  hour  to  come,  when 
he  expected  to  be  covered  with  shame  and  mockery.  Suddenly  a 
flash  of  lightning  struck  an  oak  tree  near  by,  and  a  fearful  clap  of 
thunder  followed.  The  oak  burned  brightly,  and  the  terrified  archi- 
tect saw  a  man  step  out  of  the  flames.  In  appearance  he  looked  like 
a  poacher,  yet  he  wore  a  red  mantle  and  a  broad  brimmed  hat  with  a 
feather. 

"A  terrible  storm,  Dom  Architect,"  he  said.  "How  could  you 
wander  here?  Follow  me,  and  I  will  conduct  you  out  of  the  woods." 

These  remarks  were  like  bitter  mockery  to  the  man.  To  be  called 
Dom  Architect,  and  he  had  done  nothing.  He  turned  in  another  direc- 
tion. The  new  arrival,  however,  called  to  him,  and  producing  a  bottle 
requested  him  to  drink.  This  was  at  first  refused,  but  after  a  second  re- 
quest, he  lifted  the  bottle  to  his  mouth  and  drank.  L,ike  fire  it  ran 
through  his  veins.  He  drank  the  second  time,  and  then,  feeling  so 
good,  gave  attention  to  his  companion,  who  said  : 

"I  see  you  have  no  confidence  in  me,  yet  I  am  the  only  one  who 
can  help  you.  My  conditions  are  easy,"  and  with  that  he  drew  a 
parchment  from  his  pocket,  unrolled  it,  and  displayed  to  the 
astonished  architect  the  plans  of  the  great  cathedral.  The  architect 
was  for  a  moment  dazzled.  Here  was  the  very  plan  he  had  dreamed 
of. 

"I  will  cede  this  to  you  on  one  condition — a  trifle — that  you  sign 
this  bond  with  your  own  blood,"  and  presenting  a  paper  to  the  man 
awaited  his  reply,  which  was  almost  instantaneous.  The  bond  was 


7<3  MY  FRIEND,  THE  CAPTAIN  • 

signed,  the  man  disappeared,  the  storm  ceased,  and  the  architect 
went  home  and  the  next  day  astonished  the  archbishop  with  his 
documents.  They  were  promptly  accepted  and  the  building  com- 
menced. As  it  progressed  it  was  decided  to  place  a  plate  in  front 
with  the  name  of  the  architect  thereon. 

Time  passed,  the  man  grew  sad,  and  finally  confessed  all  and  asked 
for  help  to  save  his  soul.  The  archbishop  promised  his  help  and  sent 
him  to  a  hermit  in  the  Eifel  mountains,  who  was  said  to  have  control 
over  evil  spirits.  The  hermit  promised  to  aid  him  by  continuous 
prayer,  and  after  a  season  with  him  he  was  sent  home,  and  told  if  he 
lived  a  pious,  repentant  life  the  balance  of  his  days  Satan  would 
never  have  control  over  him.  This  the  architect  did,  and  the  build- 
ing of  the  cathedral  progressed,  although  not  under  his  direction. 
Some  years  later  he  died,  and  the  same  night  the  tablet  that  bore  his 
name  disappeared  from  the  building. 

Tradition  says  that  by  dispute,  envy  and  hatred  the  Evil  One 
succeeded  in  interrupting  the  building  of  the  temple,  yet  work  pro- 
gressed from  time  to  time,  but  it  was  only  on  the  i4th  of  August,  1880, 
over  600  years  after  it  was  started,  that  the  last  scaffold  was  taken 
down,  and  the  grand  Dom  pronounced  completed. 

The  night  before  our  departure  from  Cologne,  the  Captain  and  I 
were  seated  together  in  the  courtyard  of  our  hotel,  enjoying  a  cigar, 
when  turning  to  me,  the  Captain  remarked  : 

"Where  do  we  go  from  here  ?" 

"Tomorrow,"  I  replied,  "we  start  on  our  trip  up  the  Rhine." 

"The  Rhine,"  inquired  the  Captain,  "it  seems  to  me,  I  have  heard 
of  that  before." 

"Yes,"  was  my  reply,  "it  is  said  to  be  the  most  picturesque  river 
in  the  world." 

"River,"  answered  the  Captain,  "why,  I  thought  the  Rhine 
referred  to  some  kind  of  beer  or  wine." 

And  then  I  got  up  and  as  it  was  a  beautiful  moonlight  night,  I  took 
a  lonely  walk  around  the  block. 


OR,    TWO   YANKEES   IN   EUROPE.  71 


CHAPTER  VI. 
A  Day  on  the  Fiver  Rhine. 

I     VE  heard  so  much  talk  about  the  Rhine  river  that  I  want  to 
see  it,"  remarked  the  Captain  to  me. 


I 


When  I  told  him  that  we  would  go  from  Cologne  to  Bie- 
brich  or,  in  other  words,  we  would  go  up  the  Rhine  from  this 
point,  and  it  would  be  a  half  day's  journey,  from  8:45  A.  M.  to  8:45 
P.  M.,  the  Captain  was  delighted.  He  hed  heard  of  steamers  that 
would  beat  the  Fall  River  Line,  yet  he  had  never  seen  them,  and  again 
he  was  doomed  to  disappointment,  for  the  largest  and  best  steamer 
that  courses  the  Rhine  is  no  better  than  our  ordinary  harbor  boats. 
I  think  the  Captain  would  have  enjoyed  the  day  had  he  not  met  an 
Englishman  on  the  boat  just  as  we  were  leaving  Cologne,  and  that 
individual  rather  poked  fun  at  the  Captain,  "  because  the  President  of 
the  United  States  was  an  Irishman." 

"What  do  you  mean  by  that?  "  asked  the  Captain  of  him. 

"Why,  your  President,"  was  the  reply. 

"Well,  what  of  our  President?  " 

"Why,  McKinley — he's  an  Hirishman.  Could  not  you  fellows 
find  a  Hamerican  ?  " 

The  Captain  puffed  away  on  his  fifteen  pfennig  cigar,  and  it  was 
some  moments  before  he  could  recover  himself  to  reply,  and  inform 
his  English  companion  that  McKinley  was  not  an  Irishman. 

Well,  to  our  story.  We  left  Cologne  at  8:45  a°d  started  on  our  trip 
up  the  Rhine.  The  first  place  of  interest  to  pass  was  Deutz,  on  the 
left ;  we  then  passed  Westhofen,  Ensen  and  numerous  other  pictur- 
esque towns  until  we  arrived  at  Bonn,  a  beautiful  place  of  25,000  to 
30,000  people,  and  the  first  stopping  place  of  the  "Express steamers." 
Bonn  is  properly  celebrated  as  the  birthplace  of  Beethoven,  and  the 
house  in  which  he  was  born  still  stands  at  No.  20  Bonngasse.  There 
is  a  legend  connected  with  Bonn  well  worth  repeating. 

Toward  the  latter  part  of  the  seventeenth  century,  when  the  people 
of  this  town  were  recovering  from  the  oppressions  of  war,  there  lived 


u 


u 


o 


OR,   TWO  YANKEES  IN   EUROPE.  73 

here  a  young  locksmith.  He  hoped  to  be  able  to  join  his  father  at 
Endenich,  but  as  the  old  man  had  lost  all  his  property  the  son  was 
unable  to  go  there  and  run  the  risk  of  living  on  his  bounty.  In  deep 
affliction  the  old  man  resolved  that  if  his  boy  could  not  come  to  him 
he  must  content  himself  to  pass  the  remainder  of  his  life  in  company 
with  his  only  other  child,  also  a  son.  Konrad,  the  locksmith,  kept  at 
his  work,  and  made  a  good  living,  and  apparently  prospered  until  he 
fell  in  love  with  the  daughter  of  a  sheriff,  named  Gretchen  Heribet, 
whose  father  did  not  look  with  favor  on  the  suit.  Sheriff  Heribet  had 
apparently  become  impoverished  by  the  war,  but  suddenly  began  to 
show  signs  of  great  prosperity.  His  burned  houses  were  rebuilt,  his 
mortgages  paid  off,  and  he  showed  riches  that  he  formerly  did  not 
possess  or  could  not  honestly  obtain  by  his  own  labor.  This  caused 
comment  among  the  neighbors.  Some  believed  his  wealth  came  from 
supplying  the  enemy,  others  from  finding  hidden  treasure,  while  some 
believed  he  was  in  connection  with  goblins  to  whom  he  had  sold  his 
soul. 

With  the  increase  of  wealth  the  sheriff  grew  proud  and  haughty, 
and  finally  regarded  his  fellow  citizens  with  contempt.  In  the  mean- 
time Konrad  had  won  Gretchen's  heart,  and  could  only  hope  to  gain 
her  father's  consent  to  their  marriage  by  some  strategy,  but  one  day 
in  a  fit  of  rage  the  sheriff  struck  Konrad,  and  then  vowed  vengeance, 
not  only  on  his  daughter's  lover,  but  on  his  aged  father  as  well. 
Rich  villain  that  he  was,  the  sheriff  knew  how  to  carry  out  his  plans, 
and  ere  long  Konrad 's  father  found  himself  pressed  by  his  creditors 
and  the  sale  of  his  property  and  his  own  ruin  imminent. 

One  night,  after  Konrad  had  managed  to  meet  his  love  and  been 
discovered  by  her  father  who  drove  him  off,  he  repaired  to  his  room 
in  sadness,  where  in  a  gloomy  state  he  sat  until  midnight,  when, 
arousing  himself,  he  bethought  to  call  the  goblins  to  his  aid.  Three 
times  he  did  so,  and  the  terrible  Lapp  appeared  before  him. 

"What  do  you  wish  of  me?  "  he  asked. 

"I  demand  gold.     Help  me  to  it,"  was  Konrad's  reply. 

Lapp  beckoned  him  to  follow,  and  conducted  him  to  the  depths  of 
a  forest,  then,  pointing  to  a  spot,  disappeared.  Konrad  hastened 
home,  fell  in  a  fever  that  lasted  several  days,  and  then  again  visited 
the  spot,  where,  after  digging  for  a  long  time,  he  found  a  chest  filled 
with  gold.  Taking  out  a  supply,  he  returned  to  Bonn,  bought  a  house, 


74  MY  FRIEND,   THE   CAPTAIN  ; 

and  in  the  meanwhile,  piece  by  piece,  brought  the  balance  of  the 
treasure  to  his  home,  conducted  his  business  on  a  larger  scale,  and  his 
success  was  thought  to  be  due  to  his  genius. 

One  of  the  first  things  Konrad  did  was  to  pay  his  father's  debts, 
release  his  mortgages,  and  make  the  old  man  happy.  In  short,  Kon- 
rad eclipsed  the  sheriff  by  his  mode  of  living  and  splendid  surround- 
ings, and  it  was  an  easy  task  to  win  his  consent  for  Gretchen's  hand, 
and  in  a  short  time  the  marriage  took  place. 

After  the  marriage  the  young  wife  was  not  content  until  she  found 
out  how  her  husband  had  gained  his  wealth,  and  after  teasing  him  for 
a  long  time  he  was  about  to  tell  her,  when  one  night  the  officers  of 
justice  forced  their  way  into  his  house,  arrested  him  and  put  him  in 
prison,  and,  after  torturing  him,  he  explained  that  he  had  found  a 
treasure.  This  satisfied  them  for  a  while,  and  his  wife  was  allowed  to 
visit  him,  and  in  a  brief  hour  of  sweet  interview  he  confessed  all  to 
her  and  was  overheard.  He  was  finally  released,  and  told  if  he  could 
prove  his  assertion  he  would  be  allowed  to  retain  his  wealth,  but  just 
as  Konrad  was  on  the  point  of  doing  this,  the  Jews  in  Bonn  raised  a 
great  cry  that  one  of  their  people,  the  rich  Abraham,  had  suddenly 
disappeared  during  a  journey  and  been  murdered.  Consequently, 
suspicion  rested  on  the  young  locksmith,  and  he  was  again  arrested. 

Behind  the  prison  walls  Konrad  was  again  tortured  to  make  a  con- 
fession, and  in  a  foolish  moment  admitted  that  he  was  a  party  to  the 
murder  of  the  Jew,  but  that  the  deed  was  done  by  his  father-in-law, 
who  shot  him,  Konrad  preferring  to  criminate  him,  as  he  had  been 
the  cause  of  all  his  troubles.  The  sheriff  was  arrested,  and  after  tor- 
ture confessed  that  he  committed  the  deed.  Both  men  were  sentenced 
to  be  executed,  and  were  dragged  to  the  execution  place,  when  an 
unexpected  appearance  demonstrated  Konrad 's  innocence. 

A  Jew,  just  returned  from  a  long  wandering,  happened  to  pass  by 
and  asked  the  cause  of  all  the  commotion,  and  when  told,  demanded 
that  the  proceedings  stop,  as  he  was  Abraham.  Both  men  were 
released.  The  impression  on  Konrad  was  severe.  He  and  his  wife 
left  Bonn  and  removed  to  Endewich  where  his  father  lived  and  after- 
ward died.  The  young  couple  lived  for  some  time  but  were  childless, 
and  as  they  were  wealthy  devised  that  upon  their  death  their  all 
should  go  to  charitable  institutions  and  churches.  Thus  ended  the 
story  of  Konrad  and  Gretchen. 


OR,   TWO  YANKEES  IN  EUROPE.  75 

The  Captain  was  enjoying  the  scenery,  as  we  were  passing  along 
the  river,  when  one  of  the  waiters  on  the  boat  brushed  past  him.  As 
he  came  back,  the  Captain  caught  him  by  the  arm  and  remarked  : 

'  'Sprechen  sie  Deutsch  ?  ' ' 

"Yah,"  was  the  reply. 

"Einschiffen  Verbaufteii  Gesselshaf t, "  replied  the  Captain. 

The  waiter  looked  at  him  in  amazement  and  the  Captain  was  wait- 
ing for  his  reply.  Finding  it  did  not  come,  he  looked  at  the  man  and 
said  in  English  : 

"Are  you  not  a  German  ?  " 

"Yes  "  answered  the  waiter  in  almost  as  good  English  as  that  of 
the  Captain,  "but  I  did  not  come  from  the  same  part  of  Germany  that 
you  did." 

And  as  the  waiter  passed  by,  the  Captain  turned  to  me  with  a  look 
as  if  he  had  been  insulted. 

"What  do  you  think  of  that  ?  "  he  remarked. 

"Well,"  was  my  reply,  "what  were  you  trying  to  say  to  the 
man  ?  ' ' 

"I  asked  him  in  good  German  what  was  the  next  place  we  stopped 
at?" 

"Well,  Captain,"  I  replied,  "  you  might  have  asked  him  in  good 
German,  but  as  near  as  I  could  get  at  it,  you  asked  him  something 
about  '  embarking  at  an  evaporation  machine.'  " 

And  as  the  Captain  turned   his  back  on  me,  he  replied  that  my 
education  in  German  had  been  sadly  neglected. 

From  Bonn  we  sail  on,  and  almost  directly  opposite  lies  the  village 
of  Beuel  and  farther  on  Kudinghoven,  with  a  beautiful  old  castle  for- 
merly belonging  to  the  Teutonic  order.  From  the  steamer  may  be 
seen  the  beautiful  gardens  and  villas  of  the  Coblenza-strasse.  A  little 
further  on  is  Obercassel  with  an  old  church  tower  of  the  eleventh  cen- 
tury and  the  viaduct  by  which  the  railway  crosses  the  Rhine.  And 
still  further  on  lies  Godesberg  with  the  ruins  of  Godesberg  castle  on  a 
basalt  86  meters  high.  This  was  built  by  Archbishop  Dietrich  and 
finished  in  1349.  In  the  war  between  the  archbishop  and  the  elector 
of  Waldburg,  who  had  become  Protestant,  it  was  in  1583  stormed  by 
the  Bavarians.  From  here  to  Niederdallendorf,  about  an  hour's  walk, 
is  an  ancient  Cistercian  abbey,  built  1202-1233.  This  was  destroyed 
and  rebuilt  in  the  sixteenth  century,  and  during  the  French  rule  it  was 


OR,   TWO  YANKEES  IN   EUROPE.  77 

sold  and  abolished.  A  lovely  path  leads  along  the  side  of  the  Peters- 
berg  to  Konigswinter.  At  the  left  side  of  the  road,  to  the  Drachenfels, 
are  the  remains  of  an  old  castle  bestowed  by  the  Rmperor,  Henry  II., 
upon  the  nunnery  of  Diet-kirchen,  near  Bonn. 

The  wines  from  this  section  are  considered  excellent,  and  are 
called  Drachenblut  (blood  of  the  dragon)  for  here  it  is  said  was  the 
spot  where  Siegf.ied  killed  the  dragon,  likewise  the  spot  where 
Detrich  of  Bern  s  fight  with  Eck  on  the  Menzenberg.  From  Drachen- 
fels a  path  leads  over  the  Wolkenberg,  formerly  a  castle,  to  the  Oel- 
berg.  A  little  further  on  we  come  to  L,ovcenberg,  with  the  ruins  of  an 
old  castle.  Here  the  elector,  Count  Wied,  had  secret  meetings  with 
Melanclhon  and  Bucer  in  1541,  before  he  became  a  Protestant,  and  the 
Elector  Gebhard  of  \Valdburg  fled  from  here  when  persecuted  by  the 
Bavarians  on  account  of  his  marriage  with  Agnes  of  Mansfield,  an 
escaped  nun  from  the  convent  of  Gerresheim. 

From  Konigswinter  there  is  a  road  along  the  Rhine  to  the  famous 
nightingale  wood,  where  St.  Bernard  is  said  to  have  brought  all  the 
nightingales  he  had  taken  away  from  the  gardens  of  the  convent 
Hemerode,  because  they  disturbed  the  nuns  at  prayer. 

Opposite  Konigswinter  lies  Mehlein.  From  here  can  be  made  an 
interesting  trip  over  the  extinct  volanco  Rodderberg  to  Rolandsbeck. 
There  is  now  a  farm  in  the  crater  of  the  volcano.  In  former  years  a 
gallows  stood  near  here,  and  the  story  is  told  of  a  young  man  who  was 
executed  for  murdering  his  sweetheart.  After  the  execution  she 
appeared,  having  been  visiting  her  parents  in  a  distant  village,  and  it 
was  then  discovered  that  the  accuser  was  a  rival  who  had  been  rejected 
by  the  girl.  The  remains  of  an  old  castle  stand  here.  This  was  built 
in  the  twelfth  century  by  Archbishop  Frederick  I.,  and  destroyed  in 
the  wars  of  Charles  the  Bold.  Excursions  can  be  made  from  here  to 
L,andskrone  and  the  Ahrvalley  with  an  old  parish  church  in  the 
Romanesque  style,  finished  in  1246.  Here  is  also  an  old  cemetery 
with  part  of  the  walls  in  Roman.  The  portal  with  its  relief  belonged 
to  a  church  of  the  ancient  Christians.  The  different  devices  are  repre- 
sented by  animals  as  in  the  Apocalypse,  signifying  that  nothing 
unclean  can  enter  the  heavenly  Jerusalem,  but  must  remain  outside 
the  gates. 

I  had  given  the  Captain  the  above  account,  and  he  appeared  much 
interested,  he  listened  attentively,  and  when  I  got  through  he  turned 
to  me  and  said  : 


78  MY   FRIEND,    THE   CAPTAIN  ; 

"Where  did  you  get  that  information?  " 

"It's  a  matter  of  history,"  I  answered. 

"History,"  replied  the  Captain.  "I  don't  believe  it.  If  the  truth 
was  known,  I  believe  you  are  interested  in  some  scheme  to  cut  up  this 
territory  in  house  lots,  and  you  are  planning  to  work  me  in  the  deal." 

Just  then  the  orchestra  struck  up  the  overture  from  "William  Tell," 
and  I  was  for  the  moment  saved  from  any  further  thought  about  jump- 
ing overboard. 

The  next  stopping  place  we  came  to  was  Coblenz,  a  city  of  consider- 
able size  and  of  much  importance.  Here  is  located  an  old  castle  built 
in  1 786,  and  has  many  attractions  for  one  who  wishes  to  give  up  a  day 
to  sight  seeing.  From  Coblenz  on  to  Biebrich  is  the  most  interesting 
part  of  the  Rhine.  Here  commence  the  old  castles  and  beautiful 
scenery.  For  five  or  six  hours  one  has  a  feast  before  him.  Just 
above  Coblenz  is  Boppard.  Here  is  a  story  told  in  connection  with  it  : 

Bayer  of  Boppard  was  a  knight  and  scion  of  one  of  the  noblest 
families  of  the  Rhine  country,  young  and  rather  wild,  yet  good 
natured.  He  loved  Maria,  a  maiden  of  great  beauty,  who  lived  in  a 
near-bv  castle.  In  due  season  they  were  engaged,  and  shortly  after 
the  knight  went  on  a  chase  with  some  friends  who  were  all  bachelors. 
They  teased  him  to  that  extent  that  upon  his  return  he  wrote  his  lady 
love,  breaking  the  engagement.  Not  long  after  this  the  knight  was 
out  in  the  forest  and  met  a  stranger,  who  advanced  and  told  him  to 
prepare  for  a  life  or  death  struggle,  as  he  was  Maria's  brother,  and 
proposed  to  avenge  her  wrongs.  The  knight  drew  his  sword,  and  a 
fierce  combat  followed,  in  which  the  stranger  was  wounded,  and  as  he 
was  helpless,  the  knight  opened  his  helmet,  and  was  astounded  to 
behold  the  face  of  the  beautiful  Maria. 

"Without  you  my  life  would  have  been  unhappy,"  she  murmured, 
"and  by  your  hand  I  wished  to  die." 

The  knight  strove  to  save  her  life,  but  in  vain.  She  died,  and  he 
fell  over  her  bod}-  senseless,  where  he  was  found  by  some  of  his 
friends  and  taken  home  and  nursed  to  health.  One  of  his  first  acts 
was  to  build  a  convent  over  her  grave,  and  to  call  it  Marienburg,  after 
which  he  bequeathed  all  his  property  to  it  and  then  departed  to  Pales- 
tine, where  he  joined  the  Crusaders,  hoping  to  find  his  death  and 
rejoin  his  love  ;  but  for  years  he  gained  renown  and  victory,  and  at 
last,  at  the  storming  of  the  Fortress  Ptolomais,  being  the  first  to  ascend 
the  ladder,  he  fell,  a  victim  of  the  enemy. 


OR,    TWO   YANKEES  IN   EUROPE.  79 

The  noon  hour  arrived,  and  our  party  entered  the  dining  room  of 
the  steamer  for  our  dinner.  The  Captain  took  his  usual  seat  by  my 
side. 

'  'How  is  this  dinner  served  ?  "  he  asked  of  the  waiter. 

"You  can  have  it  here  table  d'hote,  or  in  the  other  saloon  a  la 
carte,"  was  the  reply. 

"I  go  to  the  other  saloon,"  remarked  the  Captain,  as  he  got  up  to 
leave. 

"Why  so  ?  "  I  asked. 

"Because  I  want  just  what  I  want,  and  nothing  more." 

I  asked  him  what  he  was  hankering  for,  and  he  rather  took  me 
back  by  calling  a  waiter  and  ordering  '  'An  oyster  stew  and  a  piece  of 
apple  pie." 

"  Vont  you  hab  sum  leedle  neck  clams  und  sum  showder  ?  "  asked 
the  waiter.  "Ve  haf  no  Yankee  dishes  mit  us." 

The  Captain  took  a  table  d'hote  dinner. 

Above  Bomhofen  is  the  ruined  castle  of  the  Two  Brothers.  Hein- 
rich  and  Conrad  were  their  father's  pride,  both  brave,  chivalrous  and 
true  sons.  In  the  same  castle  lived  an  orphan  girl,  Hildegarde,  who 
grew  up  in  the  family,  who  were  relatives.  The  brothers  knew  her 
from  childhood  and  loved  her  as  a  sister,  until  Conrad  showed  such 
affection  that  it  was  finally  decided  he  was  to  marry  her,  but  the  cere- 
mony could  not  take  place  until  the  completion  of  a  new  castle  to  be 
called  Sternberg,  near  the  Liebenstein  castle  in  which  his  father  lived. 
Heinrich  could  not  bear  to  witness  the  ceremony  and,  while  he  loved 
his  brother,  he  decided  to  leave  home,  go  to  Palestine  and  join  the 
Crusaders  and  with  him  went  many  knightly  youths  and  young  men 
of  the  Rhine. 

Shortly  after  Heinrich's  departure  his  father  was  taken  ill,  and  the 
day  Castle  Sternberg  was  completed  he  died.  According  to  the  cus- 
toms of  the  country,  the  marriage  had  to  be  postponed  one  year.  In 
the  meantime  Heinrich  had  so  distinguished  himself  on  the  field  of 
battle  that  his  fame  had  become  general,  and  Conrad  determined  to 
take  a  hand  in  the  fight,  and,  bidding  his  bride  good-by,  departed. 
Not  meeting  with  the  same  success  his  brother  had,  he  started  to 
return  home  and,  while  at  Constantinople,  met  a  beautiful  Greek  lady, 
and  finally  married  her  and  took  her  to  his  home  on  the  Rhine. 
When  Hildegarde  heard  this  her  heart  was  broken,  for  with  the  return 


I 

PS 


U. 


OR,    TWO  YANKEES   IN    EUROPE.  8l 

of  her  faithless  lover  followed  a  season  of  festivities.  Late  one  night 
a  strange  knight  appeared  at  the  Liebenstein  Castle,  and  the  next 
morning  Hildegarde  was  shown  to  him,  and  surprised  to  find  it  was 
Heinrich,  who  had  heard  of  his  brother's  wrong,  and  had  returned  to 
Hildegarde,  and  requested  that  she  keep  it  a  secret  for  a  few  days. 
On  the  fourth  day  after  his  arrival  he  sent  a  confidant  to  his  brother, 
and  challenged  him  to  mortal  combat.  The  challenge  was  accepted, 
and  the  fight  was  to  take  place  the  next  day.  The  hour  arrived,  the 
swords  were  drawn,  when  Hildegarde  appeared,  forbade  the  struggle, 
and  said  she  would  repair  to  a  convent.  The  brothers  in  the  mean- 
while made  up  their  grievances,  and  it  soon  transpired  that  Conrad's 
wife  was  in  secret  correspondence  with  a  young  knight  who  lived 
near  by,  and  shortly  after  she  eloped  with  him.  Both  brothers  took 
up  their  home  in  Castle  Liebenstein.  and  Sternberg  was  deserted,  and 
since  their  death  the  two  old  castles  have  stood  there  as  a  monument 
to  them. 

Above  the  Two  Brothers  are  the  ruins  of  the  old  Castle  Maus;  built 
in  1363.  In  the  stream  above  St.  Joan  is  a  high  hill  with  a  sharp, 
rocky  edge,  a  portion  of  which  forms  a  profile  of  Napoleon.  This  is 
something  after  the  Old  Man  of  the  Mountain,  at  the  Profile  House, 
Franconia  Notch,  N.  H.  Here  the  Rhine  is  the  narrowest,  and  just 
above  is  a  group  of  rocks  called,  "The  Seven  Maidens."  According 
to  the  legend,  they  were  the  ladies  of  the  Castle  of  Schonburg,  who 
had  hearts  as  cold  as  flint  stones.  The  town  of  Wesel,  with  some  at- 
tractions, comes  next,  and  above  that  lies  Schonburg,  where  Count 
Frederick  Hermann  was  born.  He  served  under  various  kings,  and  at 
the  age  of  72  fell  at  the  Battle  of  the  Boyne. 

In  the  middle  of  the  Rhine,  upon  a  rocky  island  above  Oberwesel, 
is  the  Pfalz,  an  old  castle  built  in  the  fourteenth  century  by  the 
Kmperor  Louis.  In  1504  the  castle  was  besieged  by  William  of  Hesse 
for  six  weeks,  but  without  success.  Napoleon  had  it  destroyed  in 
1805.  Many  places  of  interest  abound  all  along  the  river  on  both 
sides.  We  shortly  come  to  Nollich  and  the  Castle  Nollinger,  where 
a  knight  once  rode  up  the  jagged  rocks  called  the  devil's  ladder,  and 
won  the  hand  of  the  fair  daughter  of  the  castle. 

"Say,  Captain,"  I  remarked,  as  we  were  leaning  back  in  our  seats 
and  viewing  two  old  castles  on  the  river  bank.  "Aren't  those  magnifi- 
cent ?  ' ' 


82  MY  FRIEND,   THE  CAPTAIN  ; 

/ 

"You  may  think  so,"  was  the  only  reply. 

"Well,  and  don't  you  ?  "  I  asked. 

"No,"  returned  the  Captain,  "I  don't." 

"Why?"  I  replied. 

"Well,  I  11  tell  you  why,"  said  the  Captain,  as  he  straightened 
himself  up  and  lit  his  cigar.  "You  told  me  I  would  see  romantic  old 
palaces,  yet  what  do  I  behold  but  a  lot  of  old  ruins  ?  I  am  wondering 
if  you  are  trying  to  bunco  me,"  and  the  Captain  turned  his  back  on 
me,  and  taking  from  his  pocket  a  copy  of  the  Bethel,  Me.,  "Adver- 
tiser," he  amused  himself  reading  the  town  locals. 

Lorch  next  attracts  our  attention.  It  is  an  old  town  and  dates 
back  over  1000  years.  Near  Lorch  is  the  ruins  of  the  former  castle 
Furstenec.  Here,  it  is  said,  lived  Knight  Oswald,  owner  of  the  castle, 
who  was  an  excellent  archer,  and  a  bitter  enemy  of  a  neighboring 
nobleman,  Wilm  Von  Saneck,  who  attempted  to  get  Oswald  in  his 
power  and  finally  succeeded,  imprisoned  him  in  a  tower  and  deprived 
him  of  his  sight.  At  first  it  was  believed  he  had  been  killed  by  rob- 
bers, but  his  only  son,  Edwin,  knowing  of  Von  Saneck's  malice,  had 
suspicion  he  was  the  cause  of  his  father's  disappearance,  so,  disguis- 
ing himself  as  an  itinerant  singer,  when  near  the  tower  he  rested,  and 
a  stranger  passing  got  into  conversation  with  him,  and  Edwin,  by 
singing  a  sweet  song,  soon  learned  from  him  that  a  knight  and  his 
servant  were  impiisoned  there.  After  the  stranger  departed,  Edwin 
strolled  up  to  the  house,  heard  the  sounds  of  jollity  within,  and  enter- 
ing sang  a  song,  much  to  the  amusement  of  all  the  party,  who  were 
under  the  influence  of  wine.  Here  he  heard  Von  Saneck  admit  he 
had  Oswald  a  prisoner  and  had  deprived  him  of  his  eyesight.  A 
wager  was  made  by  one  that,  even  blinded  as  he  was,  Oswald  could 
hit  a  given  object  with  his  arrow,  and  he  was  sent  for  by  Von  Saneck. 
Edwin  saw  his  poor  father  brought  in,  a  bow  and  arrow  was  given 
him  and  he  was  told  to  hit  a  cup  on  the  table,  but  instead  he  shot 
Von  Saneck  through  the  heart  and  he  fell  dead.  Edwin  immediately 
sprang  to  the  side  of  his  father  and  said  he  would  defend  his  act  with 
his  sword.  The  company  made  no  protest  and  he  departed  with  his 
sightless  parent,  conducted  him  home,  and,  although  he  could  not 
restore  his  sight,  made  his  last  days  peaceful  and  happy. 

Upon  the  rock  of  the  Soon wald  are  the  ruins  of   Castle  Sooneck, 
built  in  1015,  destroyed  by  Rudolph  of  Habsburgin  1282.    The  robber 


OR,    TWO  YANKEES  IN   EUROPE.  83 

knights  of  Sooneck  were  executed  here.  Below  was  built,  by  the 
knights  of  Waldeck,  the  church  of  St  Clements  for  the  repose  of  the 
souls  of  the  robber  knights.  A  little  beyond  is  Assmaunshausen, 
where  the  cream  of  German  red  wine  is  grown.  Next  is  Bingerloch 
with  Castle  Ehrenfelds,  built  in  1210  by  Philip  of  Rolanden,  later  the 
residence  of  the  Archbishop  of  Mayence,  destroyed  by  the  French  in 
1689. 


A  soldier  of  the  legion  lay  dying  at  Algiers. 

There  was  lack  of  women's  nursing,  there  was  dearth  of  women's  tears. 

But  a  comrade  stood  beside  him,  while  his  life  blood  ebbed  away, 

And  bent  with  pitying  glance  to  hear  each  word  he  had  to  say. 

The  dying  soldier  faltered  as  he  took  that  comrade's  hand, 

And  he  said,  "I  never  more  shall  see  my  own,  my  native  land. 

Take  a  message  and  a  token  to  some  distant  friends  of  mine, 

For  I  was  born  at  Bingen,  fair  Bingenon  the  Rhine." 

What  school  boy  or  merchant  of  today  but  has  heard,  "Bingen  on 
the  Rhine?"  It  is  a  dear  old  town  with  about  7000  population. 
Here  is  a  great  wine  market.  An  old  parish  church  of  the  fifteenth 
century,  with  a  Romanesque  crypt  of  the  eleventh  century  stands 
here.  Above  the  town  rises  the  Drususberg  with  Castle  Klopp, 
destroyed  by  the  French  in  1689  and  1712.  Just  below  is  Rudeshein, 
famous  for  its  wines.  The  robber  knight  lived  here  and  was  con- 
demned to  death  by  Archbishop  of  Mayence  in  1282.  The  old  castle, 
or  what  is  left  of  it,  still  stands. 

"I  say, "  said  the  Captain  to  one  of  the  deck  hands,  who  could 
speak  English,  "what  is  that  sign  up  there,  which  reads,  ^Rauchen 
ist  Verboten?*" 

"Smoking  forbidden,"  was  the  reply. 

"And  that  one  over  there?"  asked  the  Captain. 

"Talking  with  the  pilot  forbidden,"  was  the  answer. 

"And  there  is  another  one,"  said  the  Captain. 

"That  means,  spitting  on  the  floor  forbidden." 

Just  then  the  Captain's  patience  gave  out,  and  turning  to  the 
waiter,  he  remarked  : 

"If  I  lived  in  a  country  like  this  I  would  commit  suicide." 

"Ah,  Mein  Herr,  that  is  forbidden  here,"  was  the  reply  of  the 
waiter,  as  he  walked  forward. 

Here  is  a  couple  of  short  stories  in  connection  with  this  country. 
The  first  is  about  Bingen,  and  goes  to  show  how  Hatto,  Bishop  of 


I 

b 

w 
Z 


0=J 

o 


-O 

O 


OR,   TWO  YANKEES  IN   EUROPE.  85 

Fulda,  wished  to  obtain  the  vacant  Archbishopric  of  Mayence.  By 
means  of  bribery,  trickery,  etc.,  he  succeeded,  although  there  were 
many  more  worthy  candidates.  After  his  elevation,  Hatto  became 
proud  and  tyrannical.  He  taxed  his  people  to  erect  large  buildings  to 
satisfy  his  love  of  splendor,  tolls  were  imposed  and  new  burdens 
forced  upon  them.  Below  Bingen  he  built  a  strong  tower,  opposite 
to  which  stands  the  ruins  of  Ehrenfels  and  the  Castle  Rhinestein,  so 
that  all  passing  ships  could  be  stopped  and  tolls  secured.  Later  on  a 
terrible  famine  visited  this  country,  and  Hatto  was  in  possession  of 
all  the  product  of  the  last  harvest,  and  only  allowed  his  stores  sold  at 
fabulous  prices,  consequently  the  general  misery  was  increased.  The 
people  prayed  for  help,  but  he  turned  a  deaf  ear  to  them.  At  last,  in 
their  frenzy,  the  people  forced  themselves  upon  him  and  his  friends 
while  at  a  feast,  and  implored  his  aid  ;  this  he  promised,  and  told 
them  to  go  to  a  certain  barn  where  grain  was  stored.  After  he  had 
them  secured  therein,  he  ordered  the  doors  fastened  and  the  building 
set  on  fire,  exclaiming,  "With  rebels,  I  treat  them  as  I  do  mice,  burn 
them."  But,  alas,  just  deserts  awaited  this  cruel  man,  for  with  the 
burning  of  the  barn,  an  army  of  mice  came  out  and  covered  the  place, 
and  Hatto  was  obliged  to  flee  to  a  ship,  but  the  mice  followed  him 
and  again  he  went  ashore,  but  at  last  was  overtaken  by  them  and 
perished. 

The  other  legend  refers  to  Rudesheim.  In  the  early  days  of  the 
Crusades  there  lived  a  preacher,  Bernard  of  Clairvoix.  He  exhorted 
his  people  to  the  great  cause,  and  among  those  who  obeyed  his  sum- 
mons, was  Knight  Bromser,  of  Rudesheim,  a  widower,  and  father  of 
a  beailtiful  daughter,  who  was  very  dear  to  him.  Bromser  owned  a 
fine  castle  in  the  Rhine  valley  and  was  rich  and  much  esteemed,  and 
the  only  regret  he  had  in  leaving  home,  was  his  daughter  Gisela, 
whom  he  did  not  wish  to  expose  to  danger,  but  his  desire  to  fight  for 
the  right  prevailed,  and  he  left  his  home  accompanied  by  the  tears 
and  blessings  of  his  child.  Arriving  at  his  post,  he  was  recognized  as 
a  brave  man,  and  charged  with  many  commands  that  required  valor. 
In  this  rocky,  mountainous  country,  not  far  from  the  camp,  came 
their  water  supply,  which  one  day  ceased,  and  it  was  found  the  cause 
was  a  terrible  fiery  dragon  that  had  chosen  this  place  for  his  home. 
The  Emperor  Conrad,  who  commanded  the  army,  sought  in  vain 
for  help,  until  one  day  Bromser  offered  his  services  and,  accompanied 


86  MY  FRIEND,   THE  CAPTAIN  ; 

by  the  blessings  of  all,  started  on  his  perilous  errand,  and  after  a  long 
combat,  killed  the  dragon.  Glad  at  his  success,  he  •was  preparing  to 
return,  when  he  was  surrounded  by  a  number  of  Saracens  and  taken 
prisoner,  and  he  was  confined  in  a  dungeon,  where  he  was  seized  with 
a  desire  for  his  native  home  and  his  child.  In  this  condition  he  made 
a  vow  that  if  he  was  allowed  to  return  home,  he  would  found  a  con- 
vent and  dedicate  his  daughter  as  the  first  nun.  One  dark  night  the 
Crusaders  attacked  the  castle,  released  the  knight  and  in  due  season 
he  returned  home,  where  his  daughter  met  him  joyfully. 

The  day  after  Bromser's  arrival,  a  young  knight,  Kurt  of  Falken- 
stein,  presented  himself  and  told  how  he  had  met  Gisela  and  won  her 
love,  and  only  required  a  father's  blessing.  Bromser  in  sorrow  was 
obliged  to  refuse,  as  he  would  otherwise  willingly  have  consented,  for 
he  knew  the  young  knight's  father,  who  was  a  favorite  companion  in 
arms.  He  told  Kurt  of  his  vow,  who,  after  hearing  the  story,  rushed 
in  madness  from  the  room,  mounted  his  charger  and  hastened  away. 
Meanwhile  Gisela  fell  to  the  ground  insensible,  and  from  that  hour 
was  deranged,  and  one  night  bade  her  father  farewell,  and  threw  her- 
self into  the  Rhine.  The  father's  life  was  full  of  grief.  He  built  the 
convent,  and  one  day  a  farm  servant  brought  him  a  wooden  cross 
which  was  turned  up  in  ploughing  ;  on  this  spot  he  built  a  church 
and,  to  this  da}-,  the  place  has  been  regarded  as  a  Mecca  for  those 
who  were  sick  or  in  distress.  . 

So  much  for  the  legends  of  the  Rhine. 

At  8:45  P.  M.  we  arrived  at  Biebrich,  where  we  boarded  the  train 
'and  in  half  an  hour  were  at  Frankfort -on -the-Main. 

The  Captain  expressed  his  satisfaction  with  the  day's  journey,  but 
was  still  inclined  to  be  a  little  cross,  because  of  his  utter  failure  to 
get  an  oyster  stew  and  a  piece  of  apple  pie  for  dinner,  and  that  Presi- 
dent McKinley  was  taken  for  an  Irishman. 


OR,    TWO   YANKEES   IN    EUROPE.  87 


CHAPTER  VII. 
In   Fatherland. 

T"*  EAVING  the  Rhine  we  stopped  over  a  short  while  at  our  land- 
I  K  ing  place,  Biebrich,  with  nothing  of  importance  to  relate, 
'  1  except  an  incident  that  drew  my  attention  to  the  fact  that  the 
Germans  were  very  anxious  to  become  familiar  with  the  Eng- 
lish language,  which  is  now  taught  to  a  great  extent  in  their  public 
schools.  I  was  standing  near  the  station  when  I  noticed  a  bright- 
faced,  clean  cut  young  fellow,  perhaps  25  years  old.  I  approached 
him  and  asked  "Sprechen  sie  Englisch  ?" 

"A  leedle,"  was  his  reply. 

I  got  in  conversation  with  him,  after  a  fashion,  and  he  asked  me 
if  I  thought  he  would  learn  English. 

"Keep  it  up  and  you  will  get  there,"  was  my  answer. 

"Vot  vas  dot  ?  "  he  asked. 

"Keep  it  up,"  I  returned. 

"Keepd  her  upd,    who  vas  he?" 

I  explained  to  his  satisfaction  "who  he  was,"  and  he  gratefully 
turned  to  me  and  said  : 

"I  dink  so.  English  vas  more  sphoken  now  as  id  vas  sphoken  py 
dose  vot  sphoke  id,  put  feefty  years  ago  French  vas  more  sphoken  py 
dose  vot  all  sphoke  it." 

I  came  near  asking  him  "Vot  vas  dot?"  but  I  rather  think  I 
pleased  him  when  I  replied  that  he  was  correct. 

We  soon  found  ourselves  at  Frankfort-on-the-Main,  one  of  the 
finest  cities  in  Germany.  In  fact,  in  my  opinion,  it  stands  next  to 
Berlin.  Frankfort  has  a  population  of  230,000.  This  is  an  important 
commercial  center  and  has  fine  streets  and  buildings.  There  are  not 
many  public  buildings  or  galleries  to  attract  the  tourist's  attention. 
This  is  more  of  a  manufacturing  center.  The  Old  Bridge,  built  in 
1342^  crosses  the  Main  and  has  a  modern  statue  of  Charlemagne. 
The  town  hall  or  Romer  House  was  built  in  the  fifteenth  century  and 


El, 


T) 

5 


"O 

o 

pa 


OR,   TWO  YANKEES  IN  EUROPE.  89 

is  of  historical  note.  Here  is  the  electors'  room  where  they  used  to 
assemble.  In  the  Kaisersaal  or  Kings'  room  are  life  size  portraits  of 
all  the  kings  from  Charles  the  Great  to  Francis  the  Second  ( 768  to 
1792).  In  the  Romer  all  the  kings  were  elected.  In  front  stands 
the  Justitia  Fountain,  originally  erected  in  1611,  afterward  ruined 
and  copied  and  restored  May  10,  1887.  It  is  said  that  in  olden  times 
when  a  king  was  elected,  wine  was  used  in  the  fountain  instead  of 
water. 

At  ii  Romerberg  was  the  house  in  which  Queen  Louise  lived. 
She  was  the  wife  of  Frederick  the  Fourth,  first  Emperor  of  Germany, 
and  mother  of  William  the  First,  and  great-grandmother  of  the 
present  Emperor.  The  house  where  Goethe  was  born  in  1749  is  at  23 
Grosser  Hirschgraben.  There  is  a  house  in  the  Domplatz  where 
Luther  stopped  in  1521.  Other  places  of  note  are  the  Domkirche  or 
Cathedral  built  in  1346,  and  fine  monuments  to  Schiller  and  Goethe. 
Here  is  also  located  the  finest  palm  garden  it  has  been  my  good  for- 
tune to  have  ever  visited.  There  are  many  fine  art  stores  here,  where 
only  the  best  class  of  works  are  sold.  The  display  of  palms,  flowers, 
etc.,  is  simply  gorgeous. 

It  was  here  at  Frankfort  that  I  informed  the  Captain  that  at  our 
next  stopping  place,  Heidelberg,  we  would  visit  the  ruins  of  the  finest 
old  castle  in  Germany. 

"Well,"  he  replied,  "you  can  go  and  see  it  if  you  want  to.  I 
didn't  come  over  here  to  see  castles." 

"What  did  you  come  for?"  I  asked. 

"For  fun,"  was  his  reply. 

And  the  Captain  took  off  his  hat  and  mopped  his  brow  with  his 
handkerchief. 

The  story  of  Frankfort's  foundation,  as  shown  by  a  legend,  gives 
this  honor  to  Charlemagne,  who  fought  against  the  Saxons  with  the 
fortunes  of  war  often  unfavorable  to  him.  A  brave,  liberty-loving 
people  often  gave  him  powerful  resistance,  and  he  was  often  repelled 
by  their  superiority.  It  was  in  one  of  these  encounters  that  he  was 
obliged  to  retire  before  them  on  the  banks  of  the  Main.  A  thick  fog 
covered  the  river  and  it  was  impossible  to  find  a  vessel  to  afford 
Charles  and  his  army  a  passage.  It  was  while  he  was  pondering  on 
what  to  do,  that  a  deer  with  her  young  one,  alarmed  at  the  approach 
of  the  soldiers,  sprang  out  of  the  thicket  and  waded  with  her  through 


OR,   TWO  YANKEES  IN  EUROPE.  91 

the  river.  Charles  took  advantage  of  this  without  delay  and  followed 
her  course  with  his  army  and  escaped  from  the  enemy.  Arriving  on 
the  other  bank,  Charles  was  so  full  of  gratitude  that  he  struck  his 
spear  into  the  sand  and  declared  that  here  a  town  should  rise  and  be 
called  Frankenford,  in  memory  of  the  event.  Later  on,  when  he 
overthrew  the  Saxons,  he  founded  Frankfort,  which  later  became  so 
celebrated  for  the  imperial  coronations. 

The  Romer  is  remembered  in  legend.  There  was  a  great  masked 
ball  at  one  of  the  coronation  festivals,  and  the  rich  salon  was  all 
aglow  with  the  festive  princes  and  knights.  With  a  single  exception 
each  one  present  was  filled  with  the  gaiety  of  the  occasion,  and  he 
was  a  tall  knight  clad  in  deep  black  armor,  who  attracted  the  atten- 
tion of  all.  Who  was  he  ?  None  could  guess.  Toward  the  latter 
part  of  the  evening  he  approached  the  Empress,  knelt  before  her  and 
asked  the  pleasure  of  a  waltz.  She  consented,  and  with  light  and 
graceful  steps  he  glided  along  the  great  salon  with  his  sovereign,  who 
thought  she  had  never  before  enjoyed  such  a  dance.  At  the  end  of 
the  waltz  he  begged  a  second,  a  third  and  a  fourth  dance,  which  the 
Empress  gladly  accorded  him,  and  he  was  envied  by  many  a  gallant 
knight,  who  would  have  considered  even  one  dance  from  Her 
Majesty  a  personal  favor,  and  consequently  the  curiosity  of  those 
present  was  increased  to  know  who  he  was,  even  the  Emperor  shar- 
ing in  the  excitement.  At  last  the  hour  arrived  when  each  one  who 
was  masked  must  make  himself  or  herself  known.  All  unmasked 
except  the  stranger,  who  refused,  when  in  desperation  the  Emperor 
commanded  him  to  do  so.  Then  he  lifted  his  visor.  None  knew 
him.  Two  officials  at  last  advanced  and,  as  they  gazed  upon  him, 
beheld  the  executioner  of  Bergen,  when,  glowing  with  rage,  the 
Emperor  commanded  that  he  be  seized  and  led  to  death,  as  he  had 
disgraced  the  Empress  and  insulted  the  crown. 

The  executioner  saw  that  he  had  displeased  all,  and  especially  his 
King  and  Queen,  so  going  before  them  he  threw  himself  on  his  knees 
and  admitted  that  he  had  not  only  committed  a  great  wrong  but  had 
disgraced  his  sovereign,  so  gaining  the  King's  attention  he  told  him 
that  even  death  was  not  a  fit  punishment,  and  as  it  would  not  help 
the  case,  suggested  as  a  remedy  that  the  King  draw  his  sword  and 
then  and  there  knight  him,  and  he  would  thereafter  throw  down  his 
gauntlet  to  anyone  who  dared  speak  disrespectfully  of  the  King  or 


u. 


O 

I 


OR,   TWO  YANKEES  IN   EUROPE.  93 

Queen.  The  King  made  up  his  mind  this  was  the  wisest  course  to 
pursue,  and  drawing  his  sword  said  :  "Arise,  Knave  of  Bergen,  knave 
you  have  been,  knave  you  shall  be, "and  the  black  knight  arose 
amid  the  applause  of  all  present. 

While  at  Frankfort,  I  became  acquainted  with  a  German  official, 
who  was  much  interested  in  America  and  Americans.  In  conversing 
with  him  one  afternoon,  the  Captain  came  up,  and  I  introduced  him, 
and,  in  true  Yankee  style,  the  Captain  immediately  inquired  of  him 
his  business. 

"I  am  connected,"  he  replied,  "with  the  Great  German  Empire  ; 
and  your  profession,  if  you  please  ?  " 

"Well,"  replied  the  Captain,  as  he  put  his  hands  in  his  pockets, 
"I  am  connected  with  the  Stars  and  Stripes,  the  greatest  flag  that 
ever  floated  to  the  breezes. ' ' 

And  the  Captain  turned  his  back  on  us  and  walked  down  the 
corridor  of  the  hotel. 

From  Frankfort  we  passed  on  to  the  famous  university  town  of 
Heidelberg.  As  I  walked  through  its  quaint  streets  and  passed 
around  the  university  building,  it  recalled  my  boyhood  days  when  I 
enjoyed  reading  Ralph  Keeler's  work,  "A  Tour  of  Europe  for  $80 
in  Currency."  It  was  to  Heidelberg  that  Keeler  came,  and  here  by 
dint  of  hard  work  he  managed  to  secure  an  education.  Keeler  was  a 
famous  minstrel  in  after  years. 

Heidelberg  is  located  on  the  left  bank  of  the  Neckar,  and  has  a 
population  of  about  60,000.  Four  streets  course  the  town,  with 
numerous  side  streets  leading  from  them.  Of  the  population  about 
three- fifths  are  Protestants  and  two-fifths  Catholics.  Over  noo  stu- 
dents reside  here,  which  gives  life  to  the  town.  It  is  said  that  among  all 
the  German  universities  that  at  Heidelberg  is  the  most  renowned  for 
its  original  student  life.  This  is  the  home  of  dueling  practice,  and 
nearly  every  day  there  are  scientific  fencing  exhibitions.  The  Uni- 
versity was  erected  in  1711.  It  stands  on  the  spot  once  occupied  by 
the  ancient  Augustine  monastery,  where  Luther,  as  deputy,  stood  be- 
fore the  court  of  Augustine  monks,  April  26,  1518,  and  defended  be- 
fore priests,  students  and  the  people  his  religion.  Probably  the  most 
interesting  place  is  the  old  cancer,  or  students'  prison.  The  floor  is 
plated  and  the  walls  blackened  by  the  smoke  of  lamps.  Here  the 
students  were  confined  for  misdemeanors.  The  longest  time  on 


3 

TJ 

o 


OR,   TWO  YANKEES  IN   EUROPE.  95 

record  for  which  anyone  has  been  locked  up,  is  forty-four  days,  while 
the  shortest  time  is  one  day.  The  room  is  without  furniture,  and  the 
windows  iron  grated.  The  new  cancer  is  what  the  students  call  "a 
jolly  prison"  compared  with  the  old  one,  and  consists  of  several  cells 
in  the  third  story  of  the  building,  and  the  whole  is  covered  with 
caricatures  drawn  on  the  walls  by  students  who  were  confined  there. 
While  I  remarked  that  this  building  was  erected  in  the  past  century, 
the  university  was  founded  in  1386,  and  was  the  third  one  in  the  Ger- 
man empire.  It  has  a  library  of  380,000  volumes  and  about  165,000 
pamphlets,  and  in  hand  writing  3334  codices,  2495  deeds  and  2512 
charters. 

In  the  market  place  is  the  old  house  known  as  Hans  zum  Ritter, 
now  used  as  a  restaurant.  It  is  built  in  style  of  the  Renaissance,  and 
was  completed  by  Huguenot  Belier  in  1592.  The  facade  with  sharp 
gable  and  two  attics  is  richly  decorated  with  statues  and  ornaments, 
and  on  the  top  are  portraits  of  four  Franconian  kings,  and  in  the 
center  are  portraits  of  the  builder  and  his  wife  with  their  coat  of 
arms,  and  below  them  their  two  children  and  two  rams.  Opposite 
this  old  house  is  the  Holy  Ghost  Church,  with  a  lot  of  stands  and 
shops  for  business  purposes  erected  all  along  the  under  side.  This 
church  is  remarkable  for  the  fights  that  have  been  made  for  its 
possession  by  the  Protestants  and  Catholics,  and  is  at  the  present 
time  used  by  both  denominations  for  religious  purposes.  The  church 
was  erected  in  1398-1414.  Catholic  services  were  held  here  until  the 
reign  of  Frederic  II.,  when  on  Sunday,  Dec.  20,  1545,  the  first  Pro- 
testant services  were  held.  Karl  V.  prohibited  this,  and  Otto  Hein- 
rich  restored  it  in  1556,  and  various  changes  were  made  as  years  rolled 
on,  until  1705  when  a  partition  was  put  up  between  the  aisles,  and 
one-half  given  to  each  denomination,  and  to  that  use  it  is  made  to 
this  day. 

While  here,  I  was  late  at  my  dinner  one  day  and  entered  the  din- 
ing room  just  as  the  Captain  was  passing  out. 

"Well,"  I  remarked  to  the  Captain,  "what  kind  of  a  dinner  did 
you  have  today  ?  ' ' 

"Oh,"  replied  the  Captain,  "very  fair  indeed  ;  they  had  two 
kinds." 

"Two  kinds  of  what?"  I  asked. 

"Well,"  he  replied,  "a  table  de  hotey  and  an  alley  carte." 


UU 


OR,   TWO  YANKEES  IN  EUROPE.  97 

Just  then  two  American  ladies  passed  us  and  I  was  undecided 
whether  to  take  my  dinner  in  the  dining  room,  or  repair  to  some 
restaurant. 

The  attraction  of  Heidelberg  is  the  old  castle  ruins,  which  show  off 
in  majestic  splendor  from  the  top  of  a  high  hill  at  the  extreme 
further  end  of  the  town,  and  said  to  be  the  finest  and  most  pictur- 
esque old  ruins  in  Germany.  The  first  early  knowledge  of  the  place 
dates  from  1303.  Arriving  at  the  top  of  the  hill,  which  is  reached  by 
either  a  carriage  drive  or  an  inclined  railway,  we  enter  a  magnificent 
garden  surrounding  the  ruins.  This  is  now  known  as  the  garden  of 
Ludwig  V. ,  but  was  formerly  called  the  Grand  Rampart.  I  visited 
.  the  old  ruins  six  years  ago,  but  vast  improvements  have  been  made 
since  that  time  in  the  grounds  that  surround  it. 

The  view  of  Heidelberg  and  the  surrounding  country  from  the 
lofty  gardens  surrounding  the  castle  is  beyond  description  and  well 
worth  a  visit  here  to  see.  Entering  the  gateway  of  the  castle,  on  the 
left  we  find  the  glass  hall  erected  by  Frederic  II.,  built  four  stories 
high.  The  vaulted  galleries  are  easily  recognized,  in  the  three  rows 
of  arcades  resting  upon  stout  Doric  columns.  This  hall  was  destroyed 
in  1689.  To  the  eastward  is  the  Otto  Heinrich  building,  the  grand 
facade  plainly  showing  its  imitation  of  the  Italian  renaissance.  This 
is  considered  the  finest  piece  of  architecture  of  the  whole  building. 
The  plan  was  made  by  Frederic  II.,  and  completed  by  Heinrich  in  his 
short  reign  of  only  three  years.  The  upper  part  of  the  nterior  of  the 
castle  is  wholly  destroyed,  only  two  single  columns  remain.  The 
Otto  Heinrich  building  is  connected  with  the  glass  hall  and  just  in 
front  is  the  Zeughaus,  built  by  Frederic  II.,  in  1549.  The  Bell  Tower 
comes  next,  and  was  built  by  Frederick  the  Victorious.  A  stone 
stairway  leads  to  the  top,  where  a  fine  view  of  the  old  ruins,  as  well 
as  the  town,  can  be  seen.  There  are  other  connections  with  this  old 
castle  galore.  I  could  use  half  a  dozen  pages  in  describing 
them.  Take  my  advice,  and  if  you  ever  have  the  opportunity,  go  see 
them.  I  have  been  there  twice  and  could  enjoy  another  visit.  I 
must  not,  however,  forget  to  mention  that  in  the  cellar  are  the  two 
great  wine  casks  of  renown,  holding  15,000  and  30,000  gallons  respec- 
tively, and  opposite  the  larger  one  is  a  carved  figure  of  Clemens 
Perkes,  the  dwarf  from  Tyrol,  Court  Jester  of  Karl  Phillip.  Perkes, 
although  small  of  stature,  was  large  of  thirst,  for  he  is  said  to  have 
consumed  on  an  average  fifteen  to  eighteen  bottles  of  wine  daily. 


OR,   TWO  YANKEES  IN  EUROPE.  99 

Bowing  is  not  only  a  habit  but  a  science  in  Heidelberg.  Every- 
body bows  and  such  a  bow  !  The  hat  is  lifted  and  brought  down  at 
an  angle  with  the  right  leg.  One  evening  we  were  going  into  the 
concert  garden — the  Captain  and  myself — and  as  we  passed  up  to  buy 
our  ticket,  the  ticket-seller  took  off  his  cap  to  us.  I  bowed  in  return, 
while  the  Captain  looked  on.  As  we  were  passing  out  near  the  close 
of  the  performance,  the  same  individual  saw  us  coming  down  the  path 
and  lifted  his  cap  again,  while  I  returned  the  salute.  Turning  to  me 
the  Captain  remarked,  "Where  did  you  get  acquainted  with  that 
duffer?"  When  I  told  him  of  the  custom,  he  vowed  he  would  not 
forget  it,  and  sure  enough  he  did  not,  for  the  next  day  a  regiment  of 
soldiers  passed  our  hotel  from  a  camping,  and  as  the  commander  rode 
up  on  his  horse,  the  captain  took  off  his  hat,  and  the  salute  was  re- 
turned in  a  like  manner.  "There,"  remarked  the  Captain,  "when  I 
bow,  I  bow  to  a  person  of  importance,  not  a  ticket-seller  in  a  concert 
garden." 

When  stopping  at  a  hotel  on  the  Continent,  the  tourist  should 
remember  and  make  a  price  in  advance  to  include  room,  light  and 
attendance,  or  an  extra  charge  will  be  made.  It  is  also  necessary  to 
provide  your  own  soap,  as  this  is  always  charged  extra.  Another 
little  item  of  expense,  that  would  seem  exorbitant  in  the  United  States, 
is,  whenever  you  go  to  a  theater,  concert  or  place  of  amusement,  you 
are  obliged  to  pay  for  a  program,  and  if  you  want  a  railroad  time 
table  on  the  Continent  you  must  pay  for  that  also. 

From  Heidelberg  we  made  our  journey  on  to  Wurtzburg,  a  quaint 
old  city  of  50,000  population,  and  the  home  of  the  famous  Wurtzburg 
HoiTbrau  beer.  At  the  upper  end  of  the  main  street  there  was  a  sight 
for  us  well  worth  going  a  long  way.  For  a  half  a  mile  this  street  was 
extended  in  the  shape  of  a  bazar,  both  sides  being  lined  with  booths 
where  everything  from  a  horseshoe  nail  to  a  brass  watch  could  be 
obtained.  At  the  extreme  end  were  flying  horses,  target  galleries, 
swings,  side  shows,  etc.,  the  whole  resembling  the  outskirts  of  a 
country  fair,  or  a  miniature  Midway  Plaisance. 

During  our  visit  at  Wurtzburg,  I  made  a  tour  of  the  place  to  pur- 
chase some  cigars  and  traveled  the  whole  town  over  to  find  one  at 
twenty  pfennigs  (five  cents)  each,  the  usual. price  being  from  one  to 
three  cents,  American  money.  I  was  complaining  to  the  Captain 
about  my  inability  to  secure  a  good  smoke  here  and  that  the  cigars 
were  sold  at  so  low  a  figure. 


OR,   TWO  YANKEES  IN  EUROPE.  IOI 

"That  reminds  me,"  he  remarked,  "if  I  remember  rightly,  I 
promised  you  two  boxes  of  cigars,  if  you  would  make  this  tour  with 
me." 

I  shuddered,  as  I  informed  him  he  was  correct.  Nothing  further 
was  thought  of  the-matter  until  that  night  when,  after  dinner,  the 
Captain  passed  over  to  me  two  boxes,  each  containing  fifty  cigars. 

"There,"  he  remarked,  "this  pays  my  debt  to  you,  and  you  will 
find  here  as  good  a  smoke  as  you  ever  had." 

Timidly,  I  inquired  of  the  Captain,  if  I  might  be  so  ungallant  as 
to  ask  him  how  much  he  paid  per  box  for  the  cigars. 

"Certainly,"  was  his  reply,  "they  cost  me  just  four  marks  per 
box." 

That  meant  just  one  dollar  in  American  money,  or  two  cents  each. 
Need  I  say  that  before  I  departed  from  Wurtzburg,  the  porter  of  the 
hotel  owned  the  two  boxes  of  cigars  ? 


102  MY  FRIEND,   THE  CAPTAIN  ; 


CHAPTER 

Nuremberg  and  Munich. 

were  at  one  of  the  way  stations  on  our  way  to 
Nuremberg,  the  Captain  had  occasion  to  make  a  slight 
purchase.  The  attendant  who  waited  upon  him  spoke 
English,  so  the  Captain  had  no  trouble  in  securing  what  he 
wanted.  After  the  purchase  was  completed,  he  passed  over  in  pay- 
ment, an  American  silver  dollar  ;  the  clerk  looked  it  over  for  an  in- 
stant, and  turning  to  my  friend  remarked  : 

'  This  is  American  money." 

"Well,"  answered  the  Captain,  "what  if  itis?  I  am  an  American." 

And  in  the  hot  sun  of  a  summer  afternoon,  I  left  the  depot,  won- 
dering if  there  was  not  at  times  a  good  excuse  for  crime. 

"You  are  now  to  see  the  most  unique  city  in  Germany,"  remarked 
a  gentleman  to  me,  as  our  train  neared  Nuremberg,  or,  as  it  is  called 
in  German,  Nurnberg. 

I  must  acknowledge  he  was  right,  and  that  Nuremberg  is  well 
called,  "The  City  of  the  Middle  Ages."  In  size  it  is  the  second 
largest  in  Bavaria,  and  has  a  population  of  175,000.  The  old  city  was 
until  1848  surrounded  by  a  wall,  with  eight  gates  leading  into  the 
town.  The  wall  still  remains  and  the  number  of  gates  has  been  in- 
creased to  seventeen.  With  the  advancement  of  population  and  im- 
provements, the  city's  size  has  increased  beyond  the  enclosure,  and 
the  best  portion,  or  new  buildings,  are  outside  of  it.  The  city  is 
divided  by  the  river  Pegnitz,  and  six  stone  bridges  cross  the  same. 
The  present  appearance  of  the  old  part  is  mediaeval,  and  in  order  to 
preserve  all  the  old  and  original  appearances,  repairs  and  restorations 
are  carried  out  in  the  old  German  or  Gothic  style.  The  streets  are 
irregular,  and  many  alleys  or  byways  connect  some  of  the  leading 
thoroughfares. 

Nuremberg  is  quite  a  manufacturing  center.  Here  are  made  the 
celebrated  Faber  lead  pencils,  and  there  are  many  other  industries  for 


OR,   TWO  YANKEES  IN   EUROPE.  103 

which  this  section  is  noted.  In  addition  to  this,  here  is  the  principal 
home  and  export  market  for  hops,  which  are  grown  throughout  all 
this  Bavarian  country. 

The  history  of  the  city  dates  back  from  1050,  over  800  years  ago. 
In  1105  Heinrich  V.  took  and  destroyed  the  town,  and  in  1127  the 
Emperor  L,othar  conquered  the  city.  Emperor  Konrad  III.,  who  did 
much  toward  improving  the  town,  lived  here  in  1147,  and  Frederic  I. 
Barbarossa,  who  enlarged  the  castle,  lived  here  on  and  off  between 
H56andii88.  From  this  period  on  to  the  sixteenth  century,  when 
the  town  was  in  its  prime,  various  monarchs  held  and  lost  their  sway 
here.  In  these  times  were  born  and  lived  here  men  like  Albert 
Durer,  the  greatest  of  German  painters,  Hans  Sachs,  the  famous  poet- 
shoemaker,  and  others  of  equal  note. 

Toward  the  middle  of  the  sixteenth  century,  the  effects  of  dou- 
bling the  Cape  of  Good  Hope  had  a  se.rious  result  on  the  business  of 
the  city,  as  the  trade  of  Nuremberg  with  Vienna  and  the  Netherland 
cities  began  to  decline.  The  building  of  the  town  hall  was  the  last 
great  effort  of  the  government,  while  the  Thirty  Years'  War  fully 
exhausted  the  last  means  of  the  town,  and  killed  its  commerce.  In 
this  condition  it  was  practically  helpless,  and  it  was  fortunate  to  be 
able  to  incorporate  into  the  Kingdom  of  Bavaria  in  1806.  Maximilian 
I.,  did  much  to  improve  the  city,  and  under  the  reign  of  L,udwig  II., 
the  city  began  to  rise  and  prosper.  During  the  war  of  1866,  the  city 
was  occupied  by  the  Prussian  troops  under  the  Duke  of  Mecklenburg, 
and  from  that  date  on  to  the  present,  prosperity  and  happiness  have 
attended  the  old  city. 

It  is  not  within  my  province  to  give  such  a  description  of  the  city, 
as  it  now  stands  (I  refer  to  the  old  part)  that  would  do  it  justice. 
There  are  many  attractions  in  the  town — old  churches,  the  Old  Castle, 
Hangman's  Bridge,  monuments,  Bavarian  Industrial  Museum,  Ger- 
man National  Museum,  the  City  Hall,  Albert  Durer's  house,  and 
other  minor  affairs.  I  will  briefly  tell  the  story  of  what  interested 
me  most. 

First,  the  Old  Castle,  the  most  interesting  part  of  which  was  the 
five  cornered  tower,  where  is  stored  a  great  display  of  instruments 
used  during  the  Inquisition,  a  full  description  of  each  being  given  by 
a  guide  in  attendance.  Several  floors  are  devoted  to  this  collection, 
while  the  top  floor  contains  a  fine  display  of  old  armor,  musical 
instruments,  articles  of  warfare,  etc. 


1 


OR,   TWO  YANKEES  IN  EUROPE.  105 

It  was  here  that  the  Captain  called  my  attention  to  a  piece  of 
armor  of  the  fourteenth  century,  with  the  foot  covering  extending  to 
a  sharp  point.  "There,"  he  remarked,  "is  the  origin  of  the  razor 
toe  shoe,"  and  I  was  half  inclined  to  believe  that  some  of  our  Yankee 
shoe  manufacturers  had  been  over  here  and  got  a  pointer  for  a  new 
style. 

Passiug  from  this  section,  we  go  to  the  old  well-room,  where  a 
curiosity  awaits  our  arrival,  This  well,  which  is  about  six  feet  in 
diameter,  is  335  feet  (*eep.  The  attendant  filled  a  large  beer  glass 
with  water,  emptied  its  contents  into  the  well,  and  it  was  just  six 
seconds  before  we  heard  the  splash  as  it  reached  the  bottom.  An- 
other glassful  of  water  was  emptied  at  six  intervals,  and  after  the  last 
had  left  the  glass,  each  of  the  six  splashes  was  distinctly  heard  as  it 
fell.  A  box  about  fifteen  it  ches  square,  with  glass  sides,  and  con- 
taining four  or  five  lighted  candles,  was  lowered  300  feet,  and,  with 
the  aid  of  a  mirror  at  the  top,  the  bottom  could  be  very  distinctly 
seen.  The  well  was  cut  in  rock  by  prisoners  who  were  confined  here 
in  the  eleventh  century,  under  Konrad  II.  It  took  thirty  years  to 
finish  it.  A  subterranean  passage  leads  from  near  the  bottom  of  the 
well  to  the  town  hall,  and  another  formerly  led  to  St.  John,  a  suburb. 
The  latter  has,  however,  been  destroyed. 

The  castle  contains  many  apartments,  in  a  fine  state  of  preserva- 
tion. At  the  time  I  visited  it,  workmen  were  engaged  in  restoring 
certain  parts.  In  the  Knights'  Hall  are  to  be  seen  some  fine  old  Ger- 
man paintings.  There  is  also  an  interesting  double  chapel,  built  in 
the  romantic  style  of  the  twelfth  century.  The  stoves,  made  of  tile 
and  mammoth  in  size,  are  real  curiosities,  yet  stoves  of  a  like  descrip- 
tion are  used  the  present  day  in  all  the  leading  public  and  private 
buildings  of  Germany.  In  the  courtyard  is  an  old  lime  tree,  planted 
by  the  Empress  Kunigunda  in  1002,  nearly  900  years  ago. 

The  Rathaus,  or  town  hall,  is  a  splendid  specimen  of  the  old 
Renaissance  in  early  Italian  style.  One  painting  that  covers  one-half 
of  the  entire  side,  is  "The  Triumphal  Procession  of  the  Emperor 
Maximilian,"  by  the  pupils  of  Alfred  Durer  and  after  his  own  style. 

It  was  the  second  day  after  our  arrival  in  Nuremberg,  and  while  at 
dinner,  that  the  Captain  thought  he  had  a  good  one  on  me.  The  day 
•was  warm,  and  I  ordered  a  bottle  of  Munich  beer.  When  the  waiter 
brought  it  on,  I  protested  and  declared  it  was  not  Munich.  He  de- 


1 

I 

z 

I 


OR,  TWO  YANKEES  IN  EUROPE.  IO7 

dared  it  was,  but  I  afterward  found  I  was  right.  The  bottle  was  of 
ordinary  size  and,  when  I  came  to  settle  for  it,  was  charged  two  marks 
or  fifty  cents.  Again  I  protested,  and  said  it  was  an  exorbitant  charge 
to  make,  so  the  head  waiter  was  called  in  to  settle  the  dispute.  When 
he  heard  the  story,  he  turned  to  me  and  said,  "  If  you  want  to  drink 
beer  for  dinner,  go  over  in  that  room  where  this  much  will  cost  you 
twenty  pfennigs  (five  cents)  ;  here  you  must  drink  wine  or  pay  wine 
prices."  This  pleased  the  Captain  to  that  extent  that  he  nearly 
choked  from  laughter.  He  said  it  was  well  worth  ten  dollars  to  him 
to  see  some  one  get  the  best  of  me. 

St.  Lawrence  Church  is  an  interesting  old  cathedral,  originally 
built  900  years  ago.  It  is  supported  by  26  pillars  and  is  322  feet  long 
by  104  feet  wide,  and  104  feet  high.  The  handsomest  part  of  the 
church  is  the  choir,  with  its  vaulted  roof,  supported  with  slender  pil- 
lars from  which  the  arches  spring  like  palm  branches.  The  seven 
windows  here  are  the  bert  examples  of  old  Nuremberg  glass  painting, 
dating  from  1450.  The  representations  are  the  "Last  Supper''  and 
the  "Wanderings  of  the  Children  of  Israel,"  the  "Story  of  the 
Passion"  and  the  "Transfiguration. "  One  represents  the  donor,  the 
Emperor  Frederic  and  his  wife.  Memorial  coats  of  arms  of  patrician 
families  hang  in  groups  on  the  pillars  and  in  the  chapels,  while  the 
tapestries  on  the  walls  represent  the  lives  of  St.  Lawrence  and  St. 
Catharine,  and  are  over  400  years  old.  There  are  many  paintings  of 
note.  This  church,  originally  a  Catholic  cathedral,  has  for  years 
been  a  Protestant  house  of  worship,  although  all  the  old  altars  and 
emblems  of  ages  ago  still  remain  as  when  formerly  used. 

We,  the  Captain  and  myself,  had  passed  a  day  full  of  sight-seeing, 
and  after  our  dinner  we  were  enjoying  a  cigar  in  the  smoking  room, 
when  I  asked  my  friend  how  he  was  impressed  with  what  he  had  seen 
thus  far  in  Europe. 

"Which  way  ?  "  replied  the  Captain. 

"Why,  the  strange  people  we  meet,  the  customs  and  ways,  and  all 
this  confusion,  does  it  not  impress  you?" 

"Yes,"  answered  the  Captain,  "it  does." 

"Well,"  I  asked,  "what  way?" 

"The  thing  that  most  impressed  me, "  was  his  reply,  "is  that,  in 
all  our  tour,  I  have  not  found  an  oyster  stew  on  a  single  bill  of  fare." 

And  the  Captain  continued  to  smoke  his  cigar  in  peace  while  I 


108  MY   FRIEND,   THE  CAPTAIN  ; 

was  forced  to  drown  my  sorrow  in  the  thought  that  even  the  good 
have  their  punishment  here  below. 

The  most  noted  church  in  Nuremberg,  is  St.  Sebaldus,  finished  in 
the  tenth  century.  Here  is  to  be  seen  a  font,  remarkable  as  one  of 
the  first  products  of  one  of  the  industries  of  the  town,  as  well  as  hav- 
ing served  to  christen  King  Wenzeslas  of  Bohemia  on  the  nth  of 
April,  1361.  In  the  column  of  the  pulpit  is  an  original  painting  by 
Alfred  Durer,  the  "Interment  of  Jesus,"  while  opposite  is  a  copy  of 
Rubens'  "The  Day  of  Judgment."  Other  paintings  by  Durer  and 
artists  of  celebrity  are  shown.  The  eastern  choir  of  the  church  is 
built  in  genuine  gothic  style,  decorated  with  fine  columns  and  com- 
pleted in  1377.  In  the  center  of  the  choir  is  the  sepulchre  of  St. 
Sebaldus.  This  is  the  most  celebrated  of  German  monuments  and 
was  cast  by  Peter  Vischen  and  his  five  sons,  begun  in  1508  and  com- 
pleted in  1519.  It  rests  on  twelve  snails,  supposed  to  represent  the 
slow  progress  of  the  world.  Four  dolphins  adorn  the  corners,  the 
whole  forming  a  temple,  adorned  with  the  twelve  apostles,  and  this 
is  surmounted  by  twelve  smaller  figures,  being  as  many  fathers  of  the 
church,  and  finally  by  an  infant  Christ  holding  a  globous  in  his  hand. 

There  are  a  number  of  altars,  paintings  by  celebrated  artists  and  an 
organ  built  in  1444  and  renovated  in  1821.  The  exterior  of  the 
church,  on  the  north  side,  has  what  is  called  the  Bridal  Door,  with 
statues  of  the  five  wise  and  five  foolish  virgins.  Originally  built  as  a 
Roman  Catholic  Cathedral,  the  first  Protestant  services  were  held 
here  in  1530  and  since  that  period,  it  has  been  used  by  this  denomi- 
nation. Like  St.  Lawrence  Church,  all  the  old  altars  and  choirs  used 
when  the  church  was  first  erected,  still  remain. 

From  Nuremberg  we  journeyed  on  to  Munich,  or  as  they  call  it  in 
Germany,  Munchen,  the  largest  city  in  Baravia,  and  with  a  popula- 
tion of  about  420,000.  Here  we  find  quite  a  military  center,  and 
withal  a  beautiful  city,  modern  in  every  sense,  and  with  a  people 
well-to-do  and  wide  awake.  This  is  the  home  of  the  Munich  beer, 
known  the  world  over  as  the  finest  brewed  malt  beer  that  is  made. 
There  is  considerable  manufacturing,  including  bronze  works.  The 
streets  are  wide,  well  laid  out  and  kept  clean,  while  many  monuments 
of  elaborate  description  adorn  public  squares. 

While  here,  the  Captain  asked  me  one  day,  as  we  were  strolling 
along  the  street,  if  I  knew  the  German  for  hot  water.  I  told  him  it 


OR,    TWO   YANKEES  IN   EUROPE.  ICK) 

was  "Heisses  Wasser,"  and  asked  him  why  he  wanted  to  know. 
His  reply  was,  that  he  was  going  in  to  get  a  shave,  and  he  wanted 
the  barber  to  use  hot  water.  So  presently  we  came  to  a  barber  shop 
and  entered.  Taking  off  his  hat,  the  Captain  beckoned  to  the  at- 
tendant, and  gesticulating  that  he  wanted  a  shave,  exclaimed  "Heisses 
Wasser."  The  barber  nodded,  went  at  his  work  and  never  said  a 
word  until  he  got  ready  to  clean  his  face  when,  taking  a  sponge,  he 
remarked  in  good  English,  "Would  you  like  some  warm  water  on 
your  face  ?  ' '  The  Captain  looked  up,  and  when  he  found  he  had  the 
best  shave  since  his  arrival  in  Europe  he  asked  the  man  where  he 
learned  English,  and  was  surprised  to  find  he  had  resided  in  New 
York  for  eight  years,  was  a  naturalized  American  citizen  and  his  wife 
an  American  women.  The  Captain  paid  an  extra  price  for  that 
shave. 

Munich  is  one  of  the  art  centers  of  Europe.  Here  is  located  Old 
Pinakothek  and  the  New  Pinakothek,  both  galleries  of  a  world  wide 
reputation.  One  contains  the  works  of  old  masters,  while  the  other 
those  of  modern  masters.  There  is  a  so  a  permanent  exhibition  of 
art,  etc.,  and  many  elegant  art  stores.  Many  pictures  are  sold  here 
to  go  to  the  United  States,  and  in  ninety-nine  cases  out  of  a  hundred 
the  purchaser  pays  a  profit  of  at  least  75  per  cent  of  the  purchase 
price.  The  gallery  contains  many  paintings  of  remarkable  beauty. 
At  the  New  Pinakothek  my  attention  was  drawn  to  Carl  Von  Piloty's 
"  Seni  before  Wallenstein's  Corpse,"  and  "  Thusnelda  in  the  Tri- 
umphal Train  of  Germanicus. "  Also  "The  Deluge"  by  Carl  Schoon, 
and  "The  Destruction  of  Jerusalem"  by  Wilhelm  Von  Kaulbach. 
All  through  these  great  galleries  is  seen  the  hand  of  the  master  in  art, 
and  to  study  them  carefully  would  take  weeks. 

The  old  Church  of  St.  Michael  is  a  beautiful  piece  of  architecture 
of  the  Italian  style,  built  in  1488.  It  is  in  a  good  state  of  preserva- 
tion, and  used  regularly  for  services.  There  are  numbers  of  other 
churches  here  that  will  well  repay  a  visit. 

Here  is  also  located  the  Royal  Bronze  Foundry,  open  for  inspec- 
tion from  i  to  6  P.  M.,  to  those  who  are  interested.  Among  the  works 
turned  out  here  is  the  statue  of  Bavaria  and  the  beautiful  fountain  at 
Cincinnati,  Ohio.  The  colossal  statue  of  Bavaria  and  her  Lion  is 
erected  on  a  hill  outside  the  Sendlinger  Thor,  in  the  Theresienwiese. 
It  is  of  copper,  60  feet  high,  and  rests  on  a  pedestal  40  feet  high.  A 
stairway  leads  to  the  top,  and  the  head  will  hold  six  persons. 


Karlsbridgc,  with  St.  Scbolds  Church,  Nuremberg. 


OR,    TWO   YANKEES  IN   EUROPE.  Ill 

The  second  largest  library  in  the  world,  the  Royal  Library,  is 
located  here.  It  is  richly  appointed,  and  contains  i ,  200,000  volumes 
and  25,000  manuscripts.  There  is  also  another  one  here  containing 
300,000  books.  One  could  easily  spend  a  week  or  more  in  Munich  in 
sight  seeing.  In  the  season  this  is  a  great  operatic  center,  and  the 
best  talent  in  the  world  is  brought  here.  During  the  summer  season 
fine  concerts  are  given  in  halls  and  gardens. 

One  evening  while  we  were  in  this  city,  we  were  approached  by 
the  head  waiter  of  our  hotel,  who  asked  us  if  we  did  not  want  to  at- 
tend the  Harmonic  Society's  Concert  ? 

"What  is  that?  "  remarked  the  Captain. 

"Probably  what  you  call  the  Symphony,"  was  the  reply. 

So  the  Captain  immediately  bought  two  tickets  and  we  wended 
our  way  and  attended  one  of  the  finest  concerts  we  had  the  pleasure 
of  hearing  while  in  Europe.  On  our  return  to  our  hotel,  I  asked  the 
Captain  how  he  enjoyed  the  evening. 

"I  was  very  much  disappointed,"  was  his  reply. 

"How  so?  "  I  asked. 

"Well,"  was  his  reply,  "out  of  fifty  musicians,  I  did  not  see  a 
single  one  playing  the  harmonica,  and  when  I  bought  those  tickets,  I 
bought  them  for  a  Sympathy  Concert,  supposing  it  was  to  benefit 
some  poor  person,  but  from  the  way  things  were  carried  on,  I  imagine 
it  was  a  money -making  scheme,"  and  just  then  the  moon  went  down 
behind  a  cloud  and  I  felt  relieved. 

I  suppose  the  place  that  interested  me  most  of  all  was  the  Royal 
Palace,  positively,  thus  far,  the  finest  and  largest  I  had  inspected. 
This  building  consists  of  three  main  parts,  the  old  and  the  new  resi- 
dence or  the  Konigsbau,  and  the  Festsaalbau  or  state  apartments. 
They  are  all  connected,  as  is  also  the  court  chapel  and  the  two 
court  theaters.  The  court  or  old  palace  was  built  by  Maximilian  I., 
and  commenced  in  1600  and  finished  1616  ;  the  original  size  was  i8ox 
90.  It  is  in  the  Renaissance.  The  two  Doric  doors  are  covered  with 
rich  embellishments.  Entering  into  the  chapel  court,  the  old  chapel 
is  situated  at  the  right,  while  in  the  vaulted  passage  leading  from 
this  to  the  court  of  the  fountain  lies  a  stone  that  weighs  364  pounds. 
This  stone  was  lifted  and  thrown  a  great  distance  by  Herzog  Chris- 
tolph,  son  of  Albert  III. 

Close  to  it  in  the  wall  are  three  nails,  one  above  the  other,  and  the 
story  goes  that  young  Herzog  knocked  off  the  upper  one,  which  is 


I 


3 


OR,    TWO   YANKEES   IN   EUROPE.  113 

twelve  feet  from  the  ground,  with  a  blow  of  his  foot ;  the  second,  six 
and  one-half  feet  from  the  ground,  was  knocked  down  in  a  like  man- 
ner by  Conrad,  and  the  third,  eight  and  one-half  feet  from  the 
ground,  by  Philip  the  Springer.  There  is  an  old  tablet  on  the  wall 
bearing  these  words  :  "Whoever  jumps  higher  will  be  removed."  A 
door  to  the  right  leads  into  the  grotto  courts  with  a  small  garden, 
embellished  with  fountains,  etc.  The  most  important  apartments  on 
the  first  story,  are  those  of  Charles  VII.,  including  the  dining  room 
and  audience  hall,  with  portraits  of  the  twelve  Roman  Emperors. 
On  the  ground  floor  is  the  treasury,  with  a  wealth  of  good  things  in 
the  way  of  fine  old  portraits,  jewels,  etc.,  worn  by  kings  and  queens, 
princes  and  princesses.  The  rich  chapel  has  a  floor  of  mosaic.  A 
multitude  of  jewels,  gold  and  silver  vessels,  beautiful  embossed  work 
in  precious  metals,  relics  of  the  saints,  etc.,  are  kept  here.  A  particu- 
larly interesting  work  of  art  is  a  "Descent  from  the  Cross  "  done  in 
raised  wax  by  Michael  Angelo. 

The  new  palace  was  built  in  1826  by  command  of  King  Ludwig  I. 
Its  front  is  140  meters  (or  about  455  feet)  long.  The  apartments  are 
finely  furnished.  There  are  bedrooms,  'ante-rooms,  dining-rooms 
and  public  and  private  reception  rooms.  The  halls  are  adorned  with 
elegant  tapestries  an  1  paintings  in  oil. 

The  state  department  or  Festsaalbau,  is  820  feet  long.  This  splen- 
did building  was  commenced  in  1832  and  finished  in  1842  and  is  of 
the  Venetian  style.  The  arches  statues  and  arabesques  are  represen- 
tations of  Bavarian  history,  while  the  adornment  of  the  grand  halls  is 
beyond  description.  The  paintings,  tapestries,  ornamentations  and 
furniture  are  simply  grand.  The  Throne  Room  is  118  meters  long, 
and  25  meters  wide,  with  side  galleries,  each  supported  by  ten 
Corinthian  columns,  and  between  them  stand  twelve  colossal  figures 
in  rich  gilt  bronze,  representing  the  ancestors  of  the  house  ofWittels- 
bach.  Indeed,  this  fine  palace  is  a  most  interesting  place. 

The  Schack  Gallery  is  small,  but  interesting.  The  ceiling  of  the 
first  saloon  is  done  from  copies  of  Michael  Angelo.  This  gallery  is  in 
the  house  of  Count  Schack.  He  died  in  1894  and  bequeathed  this 
collection  to  the  German  Emperor,  who  afterward  bought  the  count's 
house  and  left  the  collection  here. 

While  at  Munich,  the  opera  was  on  and  one  night,  I  asked  the 
Captain  how  he  would  like  to  go  and  see  the  "Barber  of  Seville." 


OR,   TWO  YANKEES  IN  EUROPE.  1 15 

"You  could  not  have  asked  me  in  a  better  time,"  was  his  reply, 
"I  was  going  to  try  to  shave  myself,  but  find  my  razor  is  dull,  so  I 
will  gladly  accompany  you." 

The  National  Museum  is  a  magnificent  building,  and  one  of  the 
richest  in  point  of  collections  in  Europe.  All  the  antique  treasures 
formerly  scattered  about  in  royal  palaces  and  other  places  throughout 
Bavaria,  have  been  gathered  together  here,  and  placed  in  one  grand 
collection. 

A  visit  to  the  Royal  Bronze  Foundry  will  fairly  make  an  American 
tourist  rise  up  in  his  might  and  shout  for  joy.  Entering  the  model 
room  or,  as  it  is  called,  the  museum,  which  contains  full  size  sculp- 
tors' casts  of  many  celebrated  statues,  etc.,  almost  the  first  sight  that 
meets  one's  eye  is  the  cast  of  the  great  Emancipation  statue,  erected 
in  Boston,  and  just  beyond  it,  is  the  cast  of  the  heroic  statue  of 
Washington,  erected  in  Baltimore.  There  are  many  other  casts  of 
American  statesmen.  At  the  base  of  the  Washington  cast  were 
nearly  one  thousand  personal  cards  of  American  visitors,  who  had 
deposited  them  there  while  visiting  the  works.  Mir.e  went  in  with 
the  rest  and  the  Captain  insisted  on  going  up  to  the  hotel  and  getting 
a  large  half  sheet  poster  of  the  Emerson  shoe  and  leaving  that  as  a 
memento,  but  I  finally  made  him  understand  this  could  not  be  al- 
lowed, so  he  deposited  his  card  calling  for  29  shoe  stores. 

While  at  Munich  one  could  make  an  interesting  trip  and  visit  the 
favorite  castles  of  the  late  King  L/udwig  II.  Berg  is  the  smallest  and 
is  located  on  the  Lake  of  Starnberg.  The  interior  is  simple  and  the 
rooms  are  small  when  compared  with  the  others.  It  was  here  the 
king  passed  his  last  hours. 

Herrenchiernsee  Castle  is  located  on  Herren  Island.  It  is  two 
stories  high  and  100  meters  long.  The  building  and  grounds  are  finely 
appointed  and  the  decorations  and  fittings  of  the  castle  are  fine. 

Neuschwanstein  Castle  is  located  about  one  hour's  walk  from  the 
the  village  of  Fussen.  The  principal  apartment  is  the  Throne  Room, 
a  great  hall  in  the  byzantine  style  and  two  stories  high.  High  marble 
columns  support  two  galleries,  one  above  the  other.  The  dining- 
room  is  in  red  and  gold,  while  the  other  apartments  are  fine.  The 
whole  is  rich  in  paintings  and  decorations. 

Linderhof  Castle  is  near  Oberau,  and  while  the  building  is  not  to 
be  seen  for  any  distance,  it  is  an  old  structure,  however.  The  chief 


-— 


OR,  TWO  YANKEES  IN  EUROPE.  117 

beauty  here  is  the  magnificent  gardens.  The  castle  itself  is  only  one 
story  and  small  in  dimensions.  The  Gobelin  Room  furniture  is 
covered  with  real  Gobelin  embroidery  and  the  wall  ornamented  with 
paintings  in  the  Gobelin  style.  The  Yellow  Cabinet  is  finished  with 
yellow  silk  and  gold  embroidery.  The  Violet  Cabinet  in  violet  and 
gold.  The  Rose  and  Blue  Cabinet  in  rose  and  blue.  In  the  gardens 
all  is  magnificence  and  splendor  and  must  be  seen  to  be  appreciated. 

So  we  closed  our  visit  to  Munich  and  the  Captain  asked  me  where 
we  were  next  bound  for.  When  I  told  him  Switzerland,  he  offered  to 
bet  me  $  10  its  scenery  could  not  stand  a  show  beside  that  of  the 
White  Mountains  or  California. 

During!  our  stay  here  there  was  some  kind  of  a  national  celebra- 
tion going  on,  and  the  Captain  and  I  started  out  in  the  afternoon  to 
take  in  the  sights.  •  Our  attention  was  attracted  to  a  hurdy-gurdy, 
playing  the  "Star  Spangled  Banner.''  It  interested  the  Captain  to 
that  extent  that  he  kept  within  hearing  distance  of  the  organ,  until  it 
had  finished  the  piece.  Arriving  at  the  market-place,  we  found  a 
band  concert  in  progress,  and  the  populace  were  loud  in  their  cheers 
of  the  national  anthems.  It  was  while  I  listened  to  this  music,  I 
missed  the  Captain  and  hunted  in  every  direction  for  him,  until  I 
finally  made  up  my  mind,  he  had  either  got  lost,  or  had  gone  back  to 
the  hotel.  I  started  in  that  direction,  when  you  can  imagine  my  sur- 
prise to  see  him  coming  up  the  street  with  the  man  with  the  hurdy- 
gurdy  following.  Knowing  that  something  was  in  the  wind,  I 
crossed  to  the  opposite  side  and  watched  the  Captain  plant  his  man 
with  the  hurdy-gurdy  in  front  of  the  brass  band,  and  after  a  few  ges- 
tures to  him,  the  man  started  up  the  "Star  Spangled  Banner."  What 
the  result  was,  I  cannot  say,  but  I  made  a  bee  line  for  the  hotel  and 
left  the  Captain  to  face  the  consequences.  At  the  same  time,  as  the 
Captain  returned  to  the  hotel  in  good  condition,  I  have  every  reason 
believe  that  the  general  public  of  Nuremberg  did  not  know  the 
American  National  Anthem. 


Il8  MY  FRIEND,   THE  CAPTAIN; 


CHAPTER  IX. 
Our  First  Week  in  Switzerland. 

1  I  I  HE  Captain  wanted  to  bet  me  $10  that  the  White  Mountain 

e/  I  »  scenery  would  surpass  that  of  Switzerland.     I  even  believe  that 

JL      after  passing  through  the  latter   country,  the  Captain  would 

make  this  bet  regarding  his  own  native  heath,  Bethel,  Me.,  but 

the  Captain  is  not  a  lover  of  nature. 

From  Munich  we  entered  Switzerland,  our  first  stopping  place 
being  Zurich.  We  came  down  by  way  of  Landau  and  crossed  Lake 
Constance.  With  the  exception  of  the  lake  ride,  the  journey  is  un- 
eventful of  scenery  of  a  mountainous  nature,  yet  there  is  an  interesting 
panorama  of  rustic  life  well  worth  the  trip.  But  as  regards  Swiss 
mountain  scenery,  in  my  opinion  there  is  no  more  comparison  between 
that  of  Switzerland  and  the  White  Mountains,  than  there  could  be 
between  the  Hudson  river  and  the  Atlantic  ocean.  Both  are  vastly 
different,  and  Switzerland  leads  the  world  in  this  particular  gift  of 
nature. 

Zurich,  the  metropolis  of  Switzerland,  is  a  beautiful  city  of  150,000 
population,  and  lies  on  the  lake  of  the  same  name  and  at  the  point 
where  the  river  Limmat  starts  its  course.  The  city  extends  from  the 
heights  of  Zurichberg  to  the  base  of  the  steep  ridge,  called  the  Uto. 
Its  importance  is  partly  owing  to  its  situation  at  the  foot  of  the  Alps, 
and  1345  feet  above  sea  level.  It  is  also  on  the  ancient  commercial 
highway  leading  from  the  heart  of  Lombardy,  across  the  mountains 
of  Rhaetia,  and  along  the  various  lakes  and  rivers  into  Germany. 
The  walks  and  rides  through  the  suburbs  are  fine,  the  woods  and  paths 
are  well  kept,  and  the  variety  of  scenery  beautiful.  The  hotel  where 
we  stopped,  the  Baur-au-lac,  or  "  Bower  by  the  lake,"  faces  the  lake, 
with  a  magnificent  garden  of  walks,  trees  and  shrubbery  in  front, 
which  extend  to  the  lake  front.  In  the  evening,  when  the  house  and 
gardens  shine  with  hundreds  of  lights,  and  the  city  part  of  the  lake 


OR,   TWO  YANKEES  IN  EUROPE.  1 19 

front  glows  with  the  same,  the  scene  is  like  that  of  fairyland.  Look- 
ing beyond,  we  find  both  sides  of  this  sheet  of  water  lined  with  villas, 
typical  of  Swiss  architecture,  while  the  waters  glitter  with  the  little 
crafts  that  are  gliding  here  and  there.  Steamboats  course  the  lake 
constantly,  and  visit  many  interesting  points,  including  Au  and  quiet 
Ufenau,  which  Conrad  Meyer  has  so  poetically  woven  in  his  beautiful 
song  of  "Mutton's  Last  Days." 

The  attractions  in  Zurich  are  noble  churches  with  ancient  history 
attached,  the  town  library  of  130,000  volumes,  the  Antiquarian  Museum, 
the  Town  Hall,  the  Swiss  National  Museum,  schools  and  universities 
and  other  public  buildings. 

It  was  while  we  were  at  Zurich  that  the  Captain's  attention  was 
attracted  to  a  poster  of  a  "  circus,"  admission  ten  francs  ($2),  and  he 
was  determined  to  visit  the  "show,"  so  he  started  out  to  find  the 
place,  and  at  last  succeeded  and  paid  his  money.  But  when  he  en- 
tered the  building  he  was  rather  taken  back  by  being  addressed  in 
English,  and  asked  what  kind  of  a  horse  he  preferred.  The  Captain 
turned  to  me  to  help  him  out,  and  upon  inquiry  it  was  discovered  that 
this  "  circus"  was  a  school  for  horseback  riding.  The  Captain  refused 
to  select  a  horse,  left  in  disgust  and  the  last  I  saw  of  him  he  was  try- 
ing to  find  a  soda  fountain. 

From  Zurich  we  journeyed  to  Lucerne — Lucerne  the  beautiful.  It 
was  an  easy  place  to  reach,  but  a  hard  place  to  leave,  because  one  feels 
like  settling  down  in  this  spot.  From  the  windows  of  my  hotel  I  had 
a  full  view  of  the  Rigi-Kulm  and  Pilatus,  two  mountains  of  note, 
while  in  all  directions  the  vast  chain,  a  part  of  the  Alps,  looms  up 
before  the  eye.  Here  is  where  Swiss  mountain  scenery  begins. 

Lucerne  has  only  20,000  population,  yet  this  number  is  swelled 
fifty  per  cent  in  the  season.  This  is  a  summer  resort  pure  and  simple. 
The  large  hotels  and  many  of  the  stores  are  closed  from  October  to 
April.  The  town  lies  directly  on  the  Lake  of  Lucerne,  one  of  the 
finest  sheets  of  water  in  all  Europe.  The  old  walls,  which  once  en- 
circled the  town,  are  in  part  intact,  and  from  the  lake  command  a 
unique  view.  The  inhabitants  still  cling  to  the  mediaeval  usages  and 
frolics  of  carnival  time,  yet  all  is  changed  in  the  summer  season. 
When  we  arrived  here,  and  were  on  our  way  to  the  hotel,  it  was  a  ques- 
tion with  me  if  Lucerne  was  not  a  part  of  the  United  States,  for  the 
Star  Spangled  Banner  floated  in  all  directions,  from  buildings,  in  store 


OR,  TWO  YANKEES  IN  EUROPE.  121 

windows  and  on  the  boats  on  the  lake.  But,  alas  !  it  was  only  a 
scheme  to  catch  dollars  from  the  Yankee  visitors.  When  we  walked 
the  streets  and  entered  public  places,  stores,  etc.,  it  seemed  to  me  that 
all  with  whom  we  came  in  contact  spoke  English,  but  when  we  en- 
tered the  old  cathedral  to  attend  the  organ  concert,  and  an  admission 
fee  of  one  franc  was  charged,  it  was  a  case  of  a  decidedly  foreign 
aspect.  By  the  way,  speaking  of  these  organ  concerts,  which  are  a 
feature  here  and  take  place  every  evening  at  6:30,  one  who  is  a  lover 
of  music  will  find  a  rare  treat  in  them.  The  organ  was  built  in  1651 
and  remodeled  in  1851. 

It  was  here  that  the  Captain  thought  he  had  got  in  trouble.  He 
entered  a  cigar  store  and  bought  one  franc's  worth,  and  tendered  in 
payment  a  gold  ten  franc  piece,  which  he  said  was  the  smallest  change 
he  had.  In  the  meantime  the  attendant,  who  could  not  speak  Eng- 
lish, passed  out  nine  francs  change.  But  in  order  to  help  out  the 
Captain  I  offered  him  a  franc  piece,  which  he  gave  in  payment  for 
his  cigars,  and  returned  the  silver  change  and  took  his  gold  piece.  In 
the  meantime  we  loitered  around  a  few  moments,  looking  at  this  and 
that,  and  as  we  started  to  leave  the  store,  the  attendant  suddenly 
recollected  that  he  had  given  the  Captain  nine  francs  in  silver  and 
also  returned  the  ten  franc  gold  piece,  so  he  wanted  his  silver  re- 
turned. In  vain  we  explained  that  he  had  already  taken  his  silver, 
but  he  was  not  satisfied.  Just  then  the  rain  began  to  drop,  and  the 
Captain  darted  out  of  the  door  and  made  a  bee  line  for  the  hotel,  leav- 
ing me  to  settle  the  affair,  which  I  finally  did  by  having  him  count  up 
the  contents  of  the  money  drawer.  When  I  returned  to  the  hotel  I 
found  the  Captain  interviewing  the  portier  on  fines  and  sentences  in 
cases  of  flimflam. 

The  origin  of  Lucerne  is  said  to  be  veiled  in  the  mists  of  antiquity. 
In  the  days  of  the  Romans  it  was  a  small  fishing  town.  It  was  in  695 
that  the  first  cathedral  and  convent,  that  of  St.  Leodegar,  was  founded 
here  by  Duke  Wickard,  of  Swabia.  About  this  time,  on  account  of 
its  increasing  commerce  with  Germany  and  Italy,  Lucerne  was  rising 
in  importance  and  was  purchased  by  King  Rudolf,  of  Hapsburg.  The 
town  remained  but  a  short  time  under  the  rule  of  Austria,  acquiring  its 
freedom  in  1321  by  a  union  with  the  Three  Cantons,  with  whom  it  had 
been  in  league  for  eighty  years.  Eleven  years  later,  in  1332,  Lucerne 
threw  off  its  last  yoke  and  formally  joined  the  confederacy  and  was 


OR,   TWO  YANKEES  IN   EUROPE;.  123 

for  a  long  time  the  ecclesiastical  capital  of  Switzerland,  as  well  as  the 
gathering  place  of  those  whose  mercenary  conduct  in  selling  their 
services  to  the  best  paying  state  or  monarch,  long  made  Switzerland's 
name  a  byword  among  the  nations.  A  few  patrician  families  exer- 
cised a  more  or  less  despotic  sway  over  the  remainder  of  the  can- 
ton, until  the  intervention  of  Napoleon  in  1803.  At  the  time  of 
the  war  of  the  Sonderbond  or  Separate  League,  1845  to  1847,  Lucerne 
was  the  seat  of  the  seceding  government  under  Siegwart-Muller.  The 
fate  of  the  League  was  decided  by  the  battle  of  Gisikon  on  the  23d  of 
November,  1847,  afld  the  following  day  Lucerne  capitulated.  Under 
the  promulgation  of  the  new  constitution  of  1848,  Lucerne  shared 
with  Berne  and  Zurich  the  distinction  of  being  a  meeting  place  of  the 
Federal  Assembly. 

Lucerne  contains  but  few  buildings  of  public  interest,  but  owes  its 
charm  to  its  situation  on  that  romantic  lake  that  bears  its  name.  The 
cathedral  is  an  attractive  old  building,  the  original  of  which,  I  made 
mention,  was  built  in  695  and  afterward  destroyed  by  fire.  The 
present  edifice  was  erected  about  the  middle  of  the  seventeenth  cen- 
tury, and  is  consequently  nearly  250  years  old.  There  are  a  number 
of  fine  old  paintings,  altars  and  statues  to  be  seen  here.  In  the 
churchyard  surrounding  the  cathedral  are  many  interesting  monu- 
ments. 

"  Look  here,"  said  the  Captain,  as  he  walked  up  tome,  and  helped 
himself  to  a  cigar  from  my  vest  pocket,  ' '  even  the  waterfalls  of 
Switzerland  seem  to  be  run  in  the  interest  of  the  Switzer,  as  they  flow 
during  the  tourist  season  and  strike  in  the  winter,  when  they  are  little 
needed,  and  when  there  are  no  rich  Yankees  here  to  view  their 
beauties,"  and  then  the  Captain  borrowed  a  match  from  a  passer-by, 
and  as  he  stood  there  puffing  my  Havana  he  remarked  to  a  native 
Swiss,  who  did  not  understand  a  word  of  English,  that  it  was*' a 
fine  day." 

Just  beyond  the  cathedral  is  the  attraction  of  Lucerne  in  the  way 
of  a  novelty,  and  that  is  "  The  Lion  in  the  Rock,"  positively  the 
grandest  piece  of  work  I  ever  saw  in  my  life.  Facing  a  pool  of  water, 
is  a  perpendicular  rock,  possibly  100  feet  high  and  as  many  feet  wide. 
It  has  a  smooth  surface  and  in  the  center  is  cut  a  representation  of  a 
lion.  The  great  beast  lies  stretched  in  the  agonies  of  death,  a  broken 
lance  piercing  his  side  while  his  paw  rests  on  the  Bourbon  coat  of 


OR,   TWO  YANKEES  IN  EUROPE.  125 

arms  as  a  token  that  even  in  death  he  will  not  forsake  his  trust.  A 
pool  of  water  overshadowed  by  pines  and  maples,  bears  the  reflection 
of  this  noble  beast  upon  its  surface.  This  work  was  executed  by 
Lucus  Ahorn,  of  Constance.  It  was  after  a  model  by  Thorwaldsen 
and  was  completed  in  1821.  It  is  intended  as  a  monument  to  com- 
memorate the  soldiers  and  officers  of  the  Swiss  Guard  who  to  the 
number  of  eight  hundred  laid  down  their  lives  at  the  Tuileries  in  Paris 
in  defense  of  King  Louis  XVI.,  on  the  loth  of  August  and  2d  and  3d 
of  September,  1792.  Above  the  Lion,  which  is  possibly  25  feet  in 
length,  appears  this  inscription:  "The  Faith  and  Valor  of  Switzer- 
land." Beneath  are  engraved  the  names  of  its  officers.  The  men 
who  so  bravely  gave  up  their  lives  are,  perhaps,  to  find  a  more  lasting 
monument  in  the  eloquent  words  of  Carlyle  :  "  Honor  to  you,  brave 
men  ;  honorable  pity,  through  long  times  !  Not  martyrs  are  ye,  and 
yet  almost  more.  He  was  no  king  of  yours,  this  Louis,  and  he  for- 
sook you  like  a  king  of  shreds  and  patches  !  Ye  were  but  sold  to  him 
for  some  poor  sixpence  a  day,  yet  would  ye  work  for  your  wages, 
keep  your  plighted  word.  The  work  now  was  to  die,  and  ye  did  it. 
Honor  to  you,  O  kinsmen  !  and  may  the  old  Deutsch  Biederkiet  and 
Tapferkeit  and  valor,  which  is  worth  and  truth,  be  they  Swiss,  be  they 
Saxon,  fail  in  no  age.  Not  bastards,  true  born  are  these  men,  sons  of 
the  men  of  Sempach  of  Murten,  who  knelt  but  not  to  thee,  O  Bur- 
gundy! Let  the  traveler,  as  he  passes  through  Lucerne,  turn  aside  to 
look  a  moment  at  their  monumental  Lion  ;  not  for  Thorwaldsen's 
sake  alone.  Hewn  out  of  solid  rock,  the  figure  rests  there  by  the  still 
waters  of  the  lake,  in  lullaby  of  distant  tinkling  ranz-des-vaches,  the 
granite  mountains  dumbly  keeping  watch  all  round,  and,  though 
inanimate,  speaks." 

These  are  Carlyle's  words,  and  his  tribute  of  years  gone  by  still 
rings  out  words  of  cheer  to  the  Swiss  patriot. 

The  Captain  was  full  of  enthusiasm  when  we  started  to  view  "The 
Lion  in  the  Rock."  He  was  a  "lover  of  wild  beasts"  and  wanted  to 
see  this  one.  He  saw  it — in  disgust.  After  viewing  it  for  a  moment 
he  turned  to  me  and  remarked:  "Let's  go;  it  is  only  hewn  out  of 
rock."  But  I  lingered  to  look  at  this  wonderful  monument,  while 
the  Captain  took  in  a  panorama  at  an  admission  price  of  fifty  cen- 
times. 

Near  the  "Lion  in  the  Rock,"  stands  a  small  chapel,  dedicated  to 
the  slain  soldiers  and  bearing  the  inscription  :  "Peace  to  the  Uncon- 


OR,    TWO   YANKEES   IN   EUROPE.  127 

quered."  The  interior  of  the  chapel  is  hung  with  the  banners  and 
weapons  of  the  Guard,  and  on  the  loth  of  August  of  each  year  masses 
are  said  here  for  the  repose  of  the  souls  of  the  dead.  When  this 
information  was  conveyed  to  me,  the  thought  occurred — after  over  one 
hundred  years  what  would  become  of  their  souls  if  mass  was  omitted  ? 

To  the  left  of  the  Lion  is  the  entrance  to  the  Glacier  Garden,  a 
magnificent  memorial  of  the  glacier  epoch.  This  furnishes  a  striking 
picture  of  the  glacier's  movements  in  polishing  the  surface  of  the 
rocks  immediately  underneath.  It  is  unique.  This  must  be  seen  to 
be  fully  appreciated.  Down  in  the  Weinmarkt  is  an  ancient  fountain 
erected  in  1481,  and  in  its  immediate  vicinity  will  be  found  the  old 
Council  House  built  in  1660.  Four  bridges  cross  the  River  Reuss, 
which  commences  here  from  the  lake.  There  is  only  one  of  real 
interest,  and  that  is  known  as  the  Kopellbrucke,  and  is  an  old,  dilap- 
idated affair  of  considerable  length.  It  is  built  of  wood  roofed  in, 
and  is  for  pedestrians  only.  The  Kopellbrucke  is  over  700  years  old, 
yet  is  still  in  daily  nse.  The  rafters  are  ornamented  with  a  series  of 
paintings  called  by  some  "The  Dance  of  Death,"  although  I  was 
unable  to  find  any  authenticity  for  this,  for  they  are  generally  sup- 
posed to  represent  scenes  from  the  lives  of  St.  Leodegar  and  Maurice, 
and  other  events  connected  with  the  town.  These  paintings  are 
more  valuable  as  antiquities  than  works  of  art. 

There  are  many  interesting  walks  and  drives  about  Lucerne,  but 
the  Mecca  for  all  tourists  is  the  Lake.  On  the  picturesque  shores  of 
this  water  were  enacted  the  scenes  so  immortalized  by  Schi'ler  in  his 
play  of  "William  Tell,"  but  history  and  romance  only  serve  to  add  to 
the  charms  of  this  delightful  body  of  water.  The  greatest  length, 
from  Lucerne  to  Fluelen  is  twenty-seven  miles,  while  its  broadest 
space  is  three  miles.  Excursion  boats  and  pleasure  crafts  plow  its 
waters  day  and  night.  It  would  be  impossible  to  give  any  idea  of  the 
vast  number  of  attractions  it  affords,  but  I  must  mention  the  small 
village  of  Sisikon,  at  the  mouth  of  the  Riemstadtenthal,  at  the  base  of 
the  Axen  Mountain,  where,  after  a  few  moments'  ascent,  you  are  at 
TelPs  chapel.  This  chapel  was  erected  in  1388,  and  has  recently  been 
restored.  It  is  located  on  the  spot  where  Tell  escaped  from  the  boat 
of  Gessler,  the  Austrian  governor,  by  springing  ashore.  This  was 
originally  dedicated  in  the  presence  of  114  persons  who  had  been 
personally  acquainted  with  Tell.  Each  year  a  service  is  held  here, 


OR,   TWO  YANKEES  IN  EUROPE.  129 

on  the  Friday  after  Ascension  Day,  in  commemoration  of  the  national 
hero,  and  is  attended  by  the  peasantry  of  the  forest  cantons,  who 
come  in  boats  gaily  decorated. 

A  stay  of  three  days  at  Lucerne  is  only  an  aggravation  to  the  aver- 
age tourist.  A  month  would  pass  much  quicker  than  a  week  in  the 
average  resort. 

While  at  Lucerne  we  took  the  steamer  for  Vitznau,  where  we  as- 
cended the  Rigi-Kulm,  by  railway.  The  summit  was  reached  in  a 
little  less  than  an  hour  and  a  half  and  here  on  this  mountain  top,  5900 
feet  high,  we  had  a  panoramic  view  of  mountains,  lakes  and  rivers,  as 
far  as  the  eye  could  reach.  Opposite  us  was  the  Pilatus  Mountain, 
said  to  be  the  spot  where  Pontius  Pilate  killed  himself  after  the  cru- 
cifixion. This  is  also  reached  by  rail.  Good  hotels  are  to  be  found 
on  all  mountain  summits  accessible.  One  thing  I  noticed  in  particu- 
lar, vegetation  and  grass  to  the  very  top.  This  is  something  we  do 
not  get  on  our  own  mountains  of  New  Hampshire.  It  is  a  grand 
sight  to  take  a  field  glass  and  have  in  full  view  a  snow-clad  top  with 
the  green  grass  peeping  out  in  patches  here  and  there. 

The  Captain  was  passing  out  of  his  hotel  one  morning,  when  a 
slightly-built,  gentlemanly  appearing  native  bowed  very  politely  and 
said,  "C'est  beau  matin." 

It  so  happened  the  Captain  had  heard  this  so  often  he  had  become 
familiar  with  the  meaning,  which  is,  "This  is  a  fine  morning." 

Quickly  turning  around,  the  Captain  returned  the  salutation  and 
replied,  "Oui,  Monsieur;  Quo  Vadis?" 

I  almost  gasped  fo/  breath  and  immediately  taking  the  Captain  by 
the  arm  and  leading  him  away,  asked  him  what  he  meant. 

"Why,"  replied  the  Captain,  "was  not  my  answer  correct?  " 

"What  answer,"  I  asked. 

"Didn't  he  say  it  was  a  fine  morning?  " 

I  nodded  assent,  and  the  Captain  continued  : 

"And  didn't  I  reply  plainly,  '  Yes  sir,  where  are  you  going?'  " 

At  this  point,  I  was  obliged  to  call  for  something  strong  to  build 
up  my  nerves,  "Quo  Vadis  "  being  the  Latin  for  "Whither  Goest 
Thou?"  but  the  Captain  had  taken  it  for  French  and  had  sprung  it 
upon  the  native. 

From  Lucerne  we  took  the  mountain  railway  for  a  four  hours'  ride 
over  the  Brunig  Pass  to  Interlaken.  The  journey  was  a  slow  one,  but 


3 

o 

I 


OR,   TWO  YANKEES  IN   EUROPE.  13! 

interesting  from  the  moment  we  started  until  we  reached  our  desti- 
nation. The  mountain  scenery,  the  valleys  dotted  with  little  Swiss 
villages  were  enchanting.  Arriving  at  Brienz,  we  took  a  steamer 
across  the  Brienz  Lake  and  in  an  hour  found  ourselves  at  Interlaken, 
ready  to  repair  to  our  rooms,  but  eager  to  leave  them  for  the  dinner, 
which  was  ready  for  us. 

There  is  a  legend  at  Interlaken  to  the  effect  that  when  the  Garden 
of  Eden  was  removed  from  the  earth  by  ministering  angels,  they 
hovered  over  the  Alps  with  their  burden,  and  were  so  enchanted  at 
the  sight  of  the  majestic  snow-clad  Jungfrau  and  the  two  splendid 
azure  mountain  lakes  beneath  it,  that  they  placed  a  part  of  the  gar- 
den at  her  foot  and  the  other  part  between  the  lakes,  in  order  to 
render  the  beauty  of  the  splendid  landscape  complete.  Interlaken 
was  formerly  the  abode  of  the  monks,  but  after  centuries  they  went 
away  and  left  the  place  to  the  natives,  who  lived  here  alone,  and  the 
outside  world  knew  but  little  of  the  beauty  and  splendor  that  rested 
beneath  these  mountain  peaks.  Wandering  tourists  finally  visited 
here,  and  soon  the  name  and  fame  of  Interlaken  became  world  wide. 
Here  is  a  scene  of  continual  fashion  and  gaiety  during  the  summer 
season. 

There  is  an  erroneous  idea  that  in  order  to  reach  this  spot  one  has 
to  be  drawn  over  high  mountains  ;  such  is  riot  the  case.  I  came  that 
way  to  enjoy  the  entrancing  scenery,  but  railroads  and  steamboats 
afford  several  ways  in  and  out  of  the  town.  Interlaken  is  protected 
from  the  north  winds  by  a  mountain  rampart  6000  to  7000  feet  high, 
as  well  as  against  the  south  storms.  To  the  stranger  on  his  first  visit 
here  the  great  Jungfrau,  13,762  feet  high,  looms  up  in  all  its  majestic 
splendor,  with  its  snow-clad  peaks,  the  Queen  of  the  Alps,  while  the 
Harderwand,  called  the  lord  of  the  mountains,  looks  down  upon  you. 
This  is  one  of  the  few  with  a  legend.  "Hardermannli"  was  a  monk 
of  the  monastery  ;  he  loved  a  nun  and  eloped  with  her  ;  pursued,  he 
hastened  to  the  mountain,  carrying  his  beloved  in  his  arms,  and  there 
they  found  shelter. 

Interlaken  has  all  the  attractions  of  an  inland  summer  resoit. 
Pretty  shops  with  tempting  goods  to  offer  tourists.  It  might  be  well 
to  say  just  here  that  the  great  majority  of  these  stores  are  operated  by 
fakirs.  Extravagant  prices  are  often  charged,  therefore,  if  you  hap- 
pen to  see  something  you  would  like  to  take  away,  first  get  the  price, 
then  make  an  offer — and  be  sure  you  make  it  low  enough,  and  you 


OR,   TWO  YANKEES  IN  EUROPE.  133 

will  get  it.  This  not  only  applies  to  Interlaken  but  to  all  these  Swiss 
cities  and  towns,  as  well  as  to  most  of  the  cities  of  the  continent. 

There  are  no  public  buildings  here  of  special  attractiveness.  In 
winter,  or  out  of  season,  there  is  a  population  of  only  4000  people  at 
Interlaken.  The  cursaal,  or  concert  hall,  is  a  large  building  where 
three  concerts  are  given  daily.  The  morning  concert  is  from  7  to  8 
o'clock,  and  during  the  selections  the  visitors  sit  at  tables  and  drink 
whey.  The  afternoon  concert  is  from  3  to  4,  and  the  people  drink 
beer.  The  evening  concert  is  from  8:30  to  10:30  when  the  people 
drink  wine.  Here  and  also  at  Lucerne  gambling  is  practiced  on  a 
limited  or  genteel  scale.  It  is  not  a  game  of  faro,  but  miniature  rac- 
ing horses  or  railroad  trains,  and  as  the  evil  must  exist,  the  betting  is 
small,  usually  one  franc.  Interlaken  has  a  large  number  of  first-class 
hotels,  and  they  usually  find  guests  enough  to  keep  them  full. 

The  Captain  took  a  stroll  with  me  visiting  the  stores,  and  at  one 
place  he  had  some  difficulty  in  making  the  attendant  understand  what 
he  wanted,  so  he  began  explaining  in  a  very  loud  tone.  I  nudged 
him  and  asked  him  why  he  spoke  so  loud,  as  the  clerk  was  not  deaf. 

"  I  want  him  to  understand  what  I  say,"  was  the  reply.  But  the 
clerk  failed  to  understand. 

While  at  Interlaken  we  took  a  carriage  ride  to  Lauterbruunen  to 
visit  the  celebrated  Staubbach  Falls,  which  descend  from  an  elevation 
of  nearly  1000  feet  almost  perpendicularly,  the  precipitation  of  which 
causes  the  descending  stream  to  first  become  thin  as  a  cloud  and  then 
almost  evaporate  to  smoke  or  dust-like  mist  in  which  the  rays  of  the 
sun  appear  like  a  moving  rainbow.  On  our  way  cat  we  drove  to 
Grindelwald,  where  we  had  a  magnificent  view  of  the  glaciers.  The 
trip  was  eventful  for  its  delightful  scenery,  and  as  our  mountain 
carriage  rolled  along,  we  here  and  there  heard  the  sound  of  the  alpine 
horn,  and  passed  the  cottages  of  the  peasant  lace-makers,  who  hur- 
ried out  and  followed  our  carriages  in  their  eagerness  to  sell  their 
wares.  As  the  mountain  side  came  in  view,  here  and  there  on  their 
lofty  tops,  could  be  seen  the  homes  of  the  Swiss  mountaineers,  truly 
a  reminder  of  those  stories  of  Swiss  life  that  the  man  of  the  present 
read  during  his  boyhood. 

As  our  carriages  approached  the  mountain  climb,  we  were  met  by 
half  a  dozen  boys  from  9  to  14  years,  some  with  large  bunches  of 
freshly  cut  leaves,  or  others  with  large  foxtails,  and  as  the  horses  be- 


Brunig  Pass  and  Railway. 


OR,   TWO  YANKEES  IN   EUROPE.  135 

gan  to  climb,  they  began  to  brush  them  vigorously  to  keep  off  the 
flies,  although  the  day  we  took  our  journey,  hardly  a  fly  was  to  be 
seen.  Yet  in  spite  of  our  protest,  the  boys  kept  up  the  brushing  and 
followed  us  for  nearly  an  hour,  and  when  we  reached  the  mountain 
top,  they  passed  their  hats  around  for  "  some  centimes." 

On  our  return,  when  about  half  an  hour's  ride  from  Interlaken, 
we  came  across  a  herd  of  goats,  possibly  150,  which  were  in  a  pasture, 
and  were  being  gathered  together  to  be  driven  home.  It  appeared  to 
us  afterward  that  this  herd  belonged  in  Interlaken,  and  were  gathered 
by  two  or  three  persons,  who  passed  through  the  streets  early  every 
morning  blowing  a  sort  of  whistle,  and  as  they  passed  along,  the  goats 
would  come  out  of  their  homes  and  follow.  In  the  evening  they  are 
returned  for  the  milking. 

The  night  before  our  departure  from  Interlaken,  while  the  Captain 
and  myself  were  enjoying  our  dinner,  a  gentleman  who  sat  just  beyond 
him  endeavored  to  attract  his  attention,  and  when  he  had  done  so, 
remarked  : 

"Donez-moi  le  menu,  s'il  vous  plait,  monsieur?" 

The  Captain  looked  at  him  for  a  moment  in  surprise,  and  then, 
turning  to  me,  asked  what  that  rooster  wanted. 

I  informed  the  Captain  that  he  had  asked  him  to  "  Please  pass  the 
menu." 

"And  what,"  asked  the  Captain,  "  is  the  menu  ?  " 

When  I  passed  it  over  to  him,  the  Captain  gave  me  a  look  of 
scorn,  as  he  replied,  "  Why  didn't  you  say  the  gentleman  wanted  the 
program?"  And  as  we  passed  out  I  was  undecided  whether  to  con- 
tinue the  journey  through  Switzerland  or  hie  myself  to  some  convent 
in  that  location. 


MY   FRIEND,    THE   CAPTAIN  J 


CHAPTER  X. 
Adieu  to  the  Land  of  the  Swiss. 

TT  FTER  leaving  Interlaken  we  next  stopped  at  Berne,  one  of 
the  oldest,  if  not  the  oldest,  cities  in  Switzerland.  Berne  is 
the  capital,  yet  it  is  antique,  antique  from  the  word  go. 
Its  main  business  thoroughfare  is  a  street  devoted  to  market 
purposes,  while  the  stores  are  on  an  elevated  sidewalk  arched  in  and 
covered  over  as  the  buildings  project  out  even  to  the  gutter  line. 

The  Captain  wanted  a  necktie.  He  could  not  be  induced  to  take 
anything  but  a  four-in-hand.  In  one  store  we  entered,  the  attendant 
could  not  speak  English,  so  one  of  our  party  undertook  to  do  the 
conversation  in  German,  but  at  this  the  Captain  protested. 

"  What  is  the  matter/  I  asked,  "why  not  make  your  purchase 
through  this  party?" 

"  Because,"  replied  the  Captain,  "  I  do  not  propose  to  get  buncoed ; 
let  him  talk  English." 

Well,  we  finally  got  the  tie. 

Berne  has  a  population  of  between  45,000  and  50,000  people.  It 
derived  its  name  from  Berne,  or  Bear,  and  the  attraction  of  the  city  is 
the  bear  pit  opened  up  on  a  public  thoroughfare,  and  the  moment  a 
stranger  sets  foot  in  town  he  is  either  taken  or  starts  for  the  Bears. 
In  fact,  everything  there  is  bear.  The  noted  Zeitglocken  Tower  and 
Bear  Chimes  always  attract  a  crowd  in  front  of  it  at  12  o'clock  each 
day,  when  it  peals  forth,  and  the  bears  march  round  three  or  four 
times,  while  the  clown  strikes  the  bell.  This  is  an  automaton  in  the 
tower. 

There  are  a  number  of  interesting  places  in  the  city,  such  as 
several  churches,  the  Federal  Council  Hall  or  House  of  Parliament,  a 
very  plain  and  unpretentious  structure.  There  is  an  historical 
museum,  an  old  town  hall,  a  picture  gallery,  university,  military  acad- 
emy, statues,  fountains  and  other  attractions.  Two  days  will  be 
sufficient  for  any  one  to  see  all  that  Berne  contains,  and  after  a  visit 


OR,  TWO  YANKEES  IN  EUROPE.  J37 

to  such  places  as  Zurich,  Lucerne,  Inteflaken  etc.,  the  place  seems 
anything  but  attractive.  There  is  a  nice  suburb  and  beautiful  parks. 

From  Berne  we  had  an  interesting  ride  to  Territet-Glion,  another 
Swiss  paradise,  situated  at  the  foot  of  the  Alps  and  on  the  shore  of 
that  majestic  Swiss  lake,  Geneva,  called  here  Lake  Leman.  This 
body  of  water  is  58  miles  long,  and,  like  Lake  Lucerne,  goes  under  a 
different  name  in  many  sections.  Territet  is  located  in  the  heart  of 
the  best  grape  and  wine  making  section  of  Switzerland.  The  hotels 
here  are  the  finest  in  the  country  and,  strange  to  say  in  this  moun- 
tain region,  this  is  a  winter  resort,  the  season  commencing  September 
i,  and  continuing  to  June  i,  with  a  little  falling  off  in  December  and 
January,  while  June,  July  and  August  are  the  dullest  months  of  the 
year.  The  grape  cure  is  the  attraction,  next  to  the  magnificent  situa- 
tion. In  fact,  this  is  called  the  Swiss  Riviera. 

Close  by,  and  within  sight  from  the  water's  edge,  lie  the  towns  of 
Montreaux,  Vevey  and  Savoy.  Boats  ply  the  lake  and  excursions  are 
numerous.  The  mountain  view  is  superb,  in  fact,  the  town  lies  at  the 
very  foot  of  one  of  these  hills,  which  rises  in  all  its  grandeur  and 
forms  a  background.  I  think  I  am  nearly  right  when  I  say  that  the 
whole  actual  width  of  the  town  below  the  mountains  sides  is  not  over 
400  feet.  Toward  the  south  the  eye  can  glance  from  summit  to  sum- 
mit of  the  lofty  peaks,  resting  now  on  a  group  of  rocks  standing  out 
boldly  against  the  horizon,  now  on  the  wooded  slopes  forming  the 
pedestal  of  the  mountain-chain  which  runs  from  Savoy  to  the  Alps  of 
Valais.  The  seven  pointed  diadem  and  its  silvery  mantle,  the  Dent- 
du-Midi,  dominates  the  landscape  and  fascinates  the  gaze  by  the  un- 
sullied purity  of  its  eternal  snows  and  the  majestic  grandeur  of  its 
outlines.  At  its  feet  the  river  Rhone  pursues  its  tranquil  course 
through  the  plain,  ere  it  flows  into  the  lake.  In  the  west,  far  beyond 
the  shining  surface  of  the  lake,  is  to  be  seen  the  gentle  outline  of  the 
Jura,  which  separates  two  republics.  In  the  east,  at  the  foot  of  the 
steep  slope,  clothed  in  chestnut  trees,  stands  in  all  its  solitary  glory, 
the  ancient  castle  of  Chillon,  the  famous  prison  house  of  Bonnivard. 
On  the  north  are  to  be  seen  the  vast  acres  of  grape  vines  as  they  are 
terraced  on  steep  slopes,  some  places  mountain  sides. 

This  is  the  picture  of  Territet-Glion.  And  yet  this  little  town  of 
possibly  2000  or  less  people,  has  a  double  track  railroad  running 
through  it,  an  electric  car  line,  a  cable  railway  to  the  mountain  sum- 
mit and  steamboat  lines. 


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OR,   TWO  YANKEES   IN   EUROPE.  139 

But  there  is  the  old  Castle  of  Chillon,  made  famous  in  early  days 
by  the  deviltry  enacted  within  its  walls,  and  famous  in  later  days  by 
Lord  Byron,  in  his  beautiful  tribute  to  it.  The  history  of  the  Castle 
of  Chillon  dates  back  to  the  middle  ages.  During  the  first  years  of 
the  eighteenth  century,  Count  Thomas  I.  of  Savoy,  famous  for  his 
chivalrous  character,  thought  of  converting  the  castle  into  a  residence 
for  himself,  and  did  something  in  that  direction  and  several  changes 
were  made.  At  the  beginning  of  the  present  century,  it  became  the 
property  of  the  canton.  At  the  time  I  visited  it  workmen  were  en- 
gaged in  restoring  it  and  it  is  proposed  to  make  a  national  museum 
out  of  it,  when  ready. 

"  Lake  Leman  lies  by  Chillon's  walls, 
A  thousand  feet  in  depth  below, 
Its  massy  waters  meet  and  flow, 
Thus  much  the  fathom-line  was  sent 
From  Chillon's  snow-white  battlement, 
Which  round  about  the  wave  inthralls." 

Thus  wrote  Byron  in  his  "  Prisoner  of  Chillon." 

In  its  early  years  the  castle  controlled  this  part  of  the  country. 
Directly  opposite  it  rises  a  mountain  and  only  one  road  passes  be- 
tween the  castle  and  the  mountain,  while  the  other  side  of  the  castle 
is  bounded  by  the  lake.  The  old  order  of  things  was  enforced,  those 
who  pass  must  pay  tribute.  In  1536  when  the  cantons  Vaud  and 
Geneva  obtained  their  independence,  the  Castle  of  Chillon  resisted 
for  a  long  time,  but  it  was  eventually  captured  by  the  Bernese,  aided 
by  a  flotilla  from  Geneva.  Bonnivard  and  the  other  captives  obtained 
their  liberty.  Bonnivard  was  prior  of  St.  Victor  and  endeavored  to 
free  the  Genoese  from  the  tyranny  of  Charles  V.  of  Savoy,  so  that  he 
became  very  obnoxious  to  that  monach,  who  had  him  seized  and  con- 
fined in  the  castle,  where  he  lay  for  six  years  in  a  dungeon.  The 
pillar  to  which  he  was  chained  and  the  ring  to  which  he  was  fastened 
still  stands,  while  the  floor  around  it  is  much  worn.  Byron  beauti- 
fully describes  the  effect  of  his  imprisonment  in  his  "Prisoner  of 
Chillon." 

"  It  might  be  months,  or  years  or  days — 
I  kept  no  count,  I  took  no  note — 
I  had  no  hope  my  eyes  to  raise, 
And  clear  them  of  their  dreary  mote  ; 
At  last  men  came  to  set  me  free, 
I  asked  not  why,  I   recked  not  where, 
It  was  at  length  the  same  to  me, 
Fettered  or  fetterless  to  be, 
I  learnefl  to  love  despair. 


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OR,   TWO  YANKEES  IN  EUROPE.  141 

And  thus  when  they  appeared  at  last, 
And  all  my  bonds  aside  were  cast, 
These  heavy  walls  to  me  had  grown 
A  hermitage  and  all  mine  own, 
And  half  I  felt  as  they  were  come 
To  tear  me  from  a  second  home. 
With  spiders  I  had  friendship  made 
And  watched  them  in  their  sullen  trade, 
Had  seen  the  mice  by  moonlight  play. 
And  why  should  I  feel  less  than  they  ? 
We  wereall  inmates  of  one  place, 
And  I,  the  monarch  of  each  race, 
Had  power  to  kill,  yet  strange  to  tell, 
In  quiet  we  had  learned  to  dwell. 
My  very  chains  and  I  grew  friends. 
So  much  a  long  communion  tends 
To  make  us  what  we  are  ;  even  I 
Regained  my  freedom  with  a  sigh." 

It  seems  that  Byron  was  ignorant  of  the  history  of  Bonnivard 
when  he  wrote  the  "Prisoner  of  Chillon."  Bonnivard  had  no 
brother  and  none  died  in  the  castle.  The  real  Bonnivard  was  a 
wealthy  young  man,  son  of  the  Lord  of  Lome,  and  he  inherited  the 
rich  priory  of  St.  Victor  from  his  uncle  when  he  was  only  .sixteen 
years  old.  This  property  lying  close  to  Geneva  he  espoused  that 
city's  quarrel  with  the  Duke  of  Savoy  and  was  confined  in  prison  for 
two  years.  After  his  release  from  imprisonment  he  again  took  up 
arms  to  recover  his  lost  possessions  and,  with  the  aid  of  Geneva,  did 
so,  and  afterward  entered  the  service  of  that  city.  It  was  after  this 
that  he  was  again  captured  and  imprisoned  for  six  years  in  the  Castle 
of  Chillon.  He  died  at  the  advanced  age  of  seventy-five  years. 

The  Castle  of  Chillon  dates  from  the  ninth  century.  In  830  Louis 
le  Debonnaire  imprisoned  the  Abbe  Wala,  who  had  instigated  his  sons 
to  rebellion,  in  a  castle  in  this  section  that  answers  the  description  of 
this  place.  Over  the  castellan's  entrance  are  the  following  words  in- 
scribed there  by  the  Bernese  in  1643  :  "  Gott  der  Herr  segne  den 
Kinund  Ansgang, "  which  translated  reads,  "  God  bless  all  who  come 
in  and  go  out." 

On  the  pillars  of  the  prison  and  floor  of  the  castles  are  to  be 
seen  the  names  of  many  noted  men  cut  in  this  soft  stone  by  them- 
selves during  visits  here.  I  was  surprised  at  the  distinctness  of  some. 
First  there  was  Lord  Byron's,  then  Eugene  Sue,  Victor  Hugo,  George 
Sand,  Shelley  and  Dumas. 

I  called  the  attention  of  the  Captain  to  these  names,  and  told  him 
they  were  done  by  the  hands  of  these  famous  men.  He  looked  on 


OR,   TWO  YANKEES  IN   EUROPE.  143 

for  a  moment  and  then,  drawing  his  penknife,  astonished  me  by  start- 
ing in  to  cut  on  a  smooth  place  on  the  pillar. 

"  What  are  you  doing?  "  I  asked. 

"  Going  to  carve  my  name,"  was  the  reply. 

When  I  told  him  it  was  against  the  rules  and  punishable  by  a  fine, 
he  asked  how  much. 

"Ten  francs,"  I  answered. 

"  Ten  francs, "  he  replied,  "  why,  that  is  only  two  dollars.  It  is 
the  cheapest  advertisement  the  Emerson  Shoe  ever  had." 

But  by  a  determined  effort  I  got  him  away. 

From  Territet-Glion,  a  pleasant  ride  of  about  one  and  one  half 
hours  by  rail  brought  us  to  our  next  stopping  place,  Martigny,  where 
we  caught  a  glimpse  of  many  old  monasteries,  some  built  five,  some 
six,  and  some  seven  hundred  years  ago.  Martigny  is  the  starting 
place  for  Chamounix  and  Mont  Blanc.  The  trip  is  made  by  dili- 
gences over  the  Tete-Noire  pass,  and  takes  about  ten  hours.  Leav- 
ing Martigny  at  7:30  A.  M.,  the  road  leads  in  a  zigzag  direction  to  an 
elevation  of  nearly  four  thousand  feet.  In  fact,  it  is  a  ride  across  the 
Alps. 

It  was  while  we  were  enjoying  the  grand  scenery  in  ail  directions 
that  I  asked  the  Captain  if  he  realized  we  were  crossing  the  Alps — -the 
same  Alps  crossed  by  the  great  Napoleon  and  made  a  part  of  his  fa- 
mous history.  The  Captain  did  not  enthuse  much  ;  he  quietly  drew 
from  his  vest  pocket  the  only  remaining  cigar  he  managed  to  land  on 
that  side  of  the  water  and,  after  lighting  it,  remarked,  "  Well,  suppose 
Napoleon  did  cross  here.  That  was  years  and  years  ago,  but  today,  I 
am  crossing." 

I  leaned  back  in  my  carriage  and  could  hardly  decide  whether  I 
would  quietly  drop  off  the  mountain  side  or  proceed  on  the  journey. 

With  a  two-hour  rest  on  the  mountain  summit,  we  proceeded  and 
arrived  at  Chamounix  at  5:30  p.  M.,  with  the  snow-clad  top  of  Mont 
Blanc  looming  up  in  the  rear  of  our  hotel  and  the  Glacier  des  Bossons 
in  full  view.  It  was  a  gorgeous  sunset,  and  an  equally  gorgeous  sun- 
rise the  following  morning,  and  the  sight  presented  was  one  I  will 
never  forget.  At  9  o'clock  the  morning  after  our  arrival  we  straddled 
mules  and  wended  our  way  to  the  glacier  and  up  the  side  of  Mont 
Blanc.  The  journey  was  one  long  to  be  remembered.  I  am  glad  I 
made  the  trip,  but  I  would  not  do  it  again  for  many  a  hundred  dol- 


(X, 


OR,   TWO  YANKEES  IN   EUROPE.  145 

lar  bill.     We  were  landed  directly  on  the  glacier,  and  made  a  tour  of 
the  ice  grotto  constructed  beneath  it. 

Before  starting  I  asked  the  Captain  if  he  intended  to  go  up  on  a 
mule.  He  replied  that  such  was  his  intention,  but  I  doubt  if  he  would 
do  it  again  if  he  was  assured  a  good  and  true  deed  of  the  whole  of 
Switzerland.  The  mule  that  was  selected  for  the  Captain  drew  a  line 
on  the  flies,  and  insisted  on  occasional  gymnastics  that  made  the  Cap- 
tain wish  he  was  back  at  his  hotel  in  safety. 

It  is  an  old  saying,  "  See  Naples  and  die,  "  but  I  believe  this  was 
a  mistake.  It  should  have  been,  "See  the  Alps  !  Away  to  the 
moutains,  and  live  long."  Chamounix  is  a  small  mountain  village 
lying  at  the  foot  of  Mont  Blanc  and  is  the  shrine  sought  by  all  pil- 
grims to  this  grand  mountain.  It  lies  in  France  and  near  the  Switzer- 
land frontier,  yet  Chamounix  is  always  associated  with  Switzerland 
and  the  Alps  scenery  in  guide  books.  Of  course,  Mont  Blanc  is  the 
chief  attraction,  while  the  scenery  in  all  directions  is  superb. 

Just  here  I  might  say  that  the  first  to  ascend  this  mountain  were 
Jacques  Balmat  and  Dr.  Paccard,  who  climbed  to  the  top  on  the  8th 
of  August,  1786.  There  is  a  little  history  in  connection  with  these 
two  men.  Balmat  was  born  January  19,  1762,  in  the  hamlet  of 
Pelorins  in  the  vicinity  of  the  glacier  of  the  same  name.  His  house 
is  still  standing.  He  was  only  twenty  four  years  old,  and  the  father 
of  a  family,  when  De  Saussure  offered  a  reward  for  the  discovery  of  a 
route  to  the  summit  of  Mont  Blanc.  Balmat,  who  had  a  love  for  the 
mountains,  determined  to  find  the  route.  He  tried  several  ways 
across  the  Glacier  des  Bois  and  failed,  then  across  the  Glacier  des 
Bossons  and  spent  a  night  there  in  the  snow,  but  was  obliged  to  re- 
turn the  next  day  on  account  of  a  fog.  Then  he  ventured  by  the 
Rochers  Rouges,  and  climbed  still  higher,  but  was  obliged  to  return  a 
part  of  the  way,  where  he  spent  the  night  on  the  icy  mountain,  but 
the  next  morning  was  clear  and  beautiful,  and  he  felt  sure  he  had 
discovered  the  route,  and  immediately  returned  to  Dr.  Paccard  and 
communicated  to  him  the  news. 

So,  on  Monday,  August  7,  these  two  men  left  Chamounix,  and  the 
following  day  at  two  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  they  reached  the  right 
shoulder  of  Mont  Blanc,  the  extreme  point  obtained  by  Balmat  in  his 
former  venture.  Dr.  Paccard  was  exhausted,  and  declined  to  proceed 
further,  so  Balmat  started  on  alone,  until  he  found  he  had  reached 


I 

c 

o 

S 


OR,  TWO  YANKEES  IN  EUROPE.  147 

the  summit.  The  victory  was  Avon.  Mont  Blanc  was  conquered. 
Balmat  returned  to  his  companion  and,  after  rousing  him,  chafed  his 
numb  limbs  and  induced  him  to  start  on  the  way,  and  at  six  o'clock 
in  the  evening  the  top  was  reached.  A  market  woman  at  Chamou- 
nix  saw  two  little  specks  and  spread  the  news,  and  the  villagers 
turned  out  to  witness  the  scene.  Balmat  and  Paccard  remained  thirty- 
five  minutes  on  the  summit,  and  then  started  downward.  At  eleven 
o'clock  they  regained  their  former  camping  place  where  they  re- 
mained over  night  and  the  next  morning  descended  to  Chamounix, 
where  they  were  met  and  feted  by  the  people.  Balmat  received  a 
present  and  diploma  from  the  King  of  Sardinia,  and  a  subscription 
was  opened  for  him,  and  on  August  13  he  visited  De  Saussure,  who 
received  him  with  joy,  and  gave  him  the  promised  reward.  In  1787 
Horace  De  Saussure  made  the  ascent.  So  much  for  the  discovery. 
Since  then  the  mountain  has  been  scaled  by  many  ;  many  lives  have 
been  lost,  among  them  two  Americans,  John  Randall,  father  of  John 
C.  Randall  of  John  H.  Pray  &  Sons  Co.,  Boston,  and  Dr.  Bean. 

Leaving  Chamounix  by  diligence  we  journeyed  to  Cluses  where  we 
took  the  train  to  Geneva.  The  trip  is  made  in  about  six  hours.  It 
was  while  we  were  making  this  journey  that  we  floated  our  American 
flags  and  were  met  by  a  party  of  Frenchmen  who  eyed  the  Captain  as 
he  waved  his  umbrella  with  flag  attached,  and  we  could  hear  their 
only  remark.  It  was  "Yankee  Doodles, "and  as  they  passed  the 
Captain  arose  in  his  seat  and  waved  his  flag  and  shouted  back,  "  Yes, 
we're  Yankee  Doodles,  and  don't  you  forget  it."  A  few  miles  fur- 
ther on,  as  we  were  making  a  sharp  wind  around  a  mountain  side,  we 
noticed  a  carriage  coming  in  the  opposite  direction,  and  as  it  ap- 
proached we  discerned  that  it  contained  four  or  five  ladies  and  gen- 
tlemen. "  Out  with,  your  flags, "  shouted  the  Captain,  and  out  they 
came,  and  no  sooner  did  the  approaching  party  see  "  Old  Glory  "  than 
they  stood  up  and  shouted,  "  Three  cheers  for  Uncle  Sam."  We  had 
encountered  a  party  of  our  own  country  people  on  our  way  from 
Mont  Blanc. 

\Vhilenotthelargestcity  in  Switzerland,  Geneva  is  the  gayest, 
and  like  Zurich  and  Lucerne,  is  a  beautiful  resort  during  the  season. 
It  has  a  population  of  about  80,000  people,  and  is  grandly  located  on 
the  lake  bearing  its  name. 

I  was  strolling  along  the  Quai,  the  main  business  street,  with  the 
Captain,  and  we  chanced  to  enter  a  store  where  the  attendant  spoke 


The  Captain  and  His  Mule. 


OR,  TWO  YANKEES  IN  EUROPE.  149 

very  little  English.  Suddenly  the  Captain  asked  him  if  he  would  be 
so  kind  as  to  tell  him  under  what  name  they  called  their  money  in 
Italy. 

' '  L,iras, ' '  was  the  answer. 

"  Come  out  of  here,"  said  the  Captain,  grabbing  me  by  the  arm, 
and  as  I  glanced  at  him  I  saw  his  face  was  a  deep  red. 

' '  What  is  the  matter  ?  "  I  asked. 

"That  chump  called  us  liars,  it's  either  get  out  quick  or  I  lick 
him,"  replied  the  Captain.  In  order  to  have  peace  and  harmony,  I 
got  out. 

Geneva  is  distinctly  French,  not  only  in  its  manners  and  customs, 
but  its  language.  Yet  it  is  cosmopolitan,  and  has  a  society  to  render 
the  sojourn  of  American  and  English  tourists  pleasant.  There  are  a 
number  of  attractive  monuments  and  fountains,  and  bridges  span  the 
course  that  runs  from  the  lake  in  swift  currents  and  is  utilized  for  its 
power.  It  is  a  wonderful  waterway.  Here  is  the  Hotel  de  Ville  or 
Town  Hall,  where  the  Arbitration  Court  on  the  Alabama  claims  sat  in 
1872.  The  St.  Peters  Cathedral,  Protestant,  built  in  1024  in  the  Ro- 
manesque style,  where  Calvin  once  preached,  and  containing  his  chair, 
which  is  in  a  good  state  of  preservation.  By  the  way,  this  was  Cal- 
vin's stronghold.  He  came  here  in  1536  and  died  here  in  1564,  and  was 
buried  in  the  cemetery  of  Plainpalais.  There  are  several  other  inter- 
esting churches  and  public  buildings,  including  an  University  with 
old  manuscripts,  many  of  Calvin's.  A  fine  palm  garden  and  parks 
lend  attraction  to  the  visitor. 

During  the  evenings,  in  the  summer  seasons,  the  sidewalks  in 
front  of  cafes  are  crowded,  and  bands  and  orchestras  play  from  8:30 
to  1 1  o'clock.  Sunday  is  no  exception  for  these  occasions.  Geneva, 
like  all  other  places,  has  its  wickedness  with  its  goodness. 

The  morning  of  our  departure  the  Captain  hailed  me  in  the  hotel 
corridor,  and  asked  me  where  our  next  destination  was. 

"To  Paris,  "  I  replied,  "  We  go  to  Paris  today.'* 

"  Three  cheers  for  Paris  !  "  shouted  the  Captain. 

"  What  are  you  cheering  for?  "  I  asked. 

"  Wait  until  we  get  there  and  I  will  let  you  know,"  was  the  only 
response  I  could  get  from  him. 

And  the  train  started,  bearing  two  Yankees,  for  Paris. 


3 


O 


OR,    TWO   YANKEES   IN   EUROPE. 


CHAPTER  XL 
How  to  Do  Paris. 

O  YOU  see  those  bright  lights  in  the  distance  ?  "  I  asked  the 
Captain,  as  we  were  speeding  along  in  the  cars,  late  at 
night. 

"  Yes,"  was  his  reply,  as  he  gazed  out  of  the   window  in 
the  direction  indicated. 

"  That  is  Paris,"  I  answered. 

The  Captain  immeliately  got  up  and  took  off  his  traveling  cap, 
packed  it  in  his  grip,  dusted  his  coat  and  put  on  his  hat.  He  was  in 
a  nervous  state. 

In  ten  minutes  we  rolled  into  the  station  and  alighted  from  the 
train.  Our  baggage  was  passed,  and  I  hailed  a  cab  to  convey  us  to 
our  hotel.  The  moment  the  Captain  took  his  seat,  he  shouted  : 

"  Say,  driver  !  " 

I  stopped  him  short  and  told  him  the  man  did  not  know  what  he 
said,  that  lie  must  address  him  as  coiher. 

"  Cocker"  called  the  Captain. 

"  Out,  monsieur,"1  was  the  reply. 

"  How  long  will  it  take  you  to  drive  us  to  the  Motilin  Rouge  ? 
shouted  the  Captain. 

I  nearly  fainted. 

It  was  with  some  difficulty  I  gave  my  companion  to  understand 
that  the  hour  was  late  and  we  had  come  a  long  distance  and  must  go 
to  our  hotel  and  rest,  but  after  a  bit  of  diplomacy  on  my  part  the 
Captain  succumbed  and  we  were  soon  settled  in  our  hotel. 

"  Yoti  wanted  to  know  why  I  gave  three  cheers  for  Paris  when  we 
started,"  he  said,  as  we  were  taking  a  light  lunch.  "Well,  it  was 
the  prospects  of  a  view  of  the  Moulin  Rouge,  and  you  have  spoiled 
the  whole  show." 

I  admitted  my  supposed  error,  but  as  we  had  over  two  weeks  in 
the  gay  metropolis,  I  told  him  he  would  have  ample  opportunity  to 
see  Paris  as  she  was. 


152  MY  FRIEND,  THE  CAPTAIN  ; 

I  am  not  going  to  attempt  to  give  any  historical  data  about  Paris. 
If  I  did  this  chapter  would  be  continued  until  the  end  of  the  book. 
With  a  population  of  over  2,500,000,  Paris  was  the  second  largest  city 
in  the  world,  but  that  distinction  now  goes  to  Greater  New  York  who 
will  give  London  such  a  tussle  for  first  place  that  it  will  be  a  hotter 
contest  than  an  American  league  game  of  baseball. 

The  grand  system  of  boulevards  that  cross  the  city  are  the  finest 
in  the  world,  and  neither  New  York  or  any  other  American  city  will 
ever  be  able  to  compete  with  Paris  in  this  direction.  The  beauty  of 
the  avenues  lies  in  their  distance  and  straightness ;  both  sides  are 
lined  with  trees  and  they  are  paved  with  either  wood  or  asphalt,  are 
always  clean,  and  carriages  driving  over  them  make  but  little  noise. 
At  night  the  streets  are  finely  lighted  with  both  gas  and  electricity — 
in  fact,  Paris  is  the  best  lighted  city  in  the  world.  Standing  in  the 
Place  de  la  Opera  of  an  evening  and  viewing  the  Boulevard  des 
Italiens,  Avenue  de  la  Opera,  Rue  de  la  Paix  and  the  Boulevard  des 
Capucines,  a  sight  is  presented  equal  to  that  of  fairyland. 

Paris  is,  or  rather  was,  full  of  Americans  while  I  was  there,  during 
the  month  of  August.  They  thronged  the  streets,  filled  the  stores 
and  were  to  be  found  in  all  the  public  places.  I  do  not  know  what 
Paris  shopkeepers  would  do  if  the  American  exodus  ceased. 

The  average  tourist  who  first  visits  Paris,  naturally  wants  to  see  the 
most  interesting  places  at  a  glance,  therefore  I  will  describe,  as  briefly 
as  possible,  such  that  could  be  seen  in  a  stay  of  from  one  to  two 
weeks. 

First,  let  us  take  the  churches.  Of  course  everybody  has  heard  of 
the  Notre  Dame  and  the  Madeleine.  They  are  two  of  the  most  noted 
churches  in  the  world.  The  Notre  Dame  is  the  cathedral  of  the  Arch- 
bishopric of  Paris,  and  was  founded  in  1163  on  the  very  site  of  a 
church  built  in  the  fourth  century.  The  front  is  surmounted  by  two 
square  towers  and  the  carvings  in  the  right  portal  represent  the  Last 
Judgment,  while  the  relief  on  the  left  portal  represents  the  Burial  of 
the  Virgin.  Immediately  above  these  portals  is  the  Galerie  des  Rois, 
a  series  of  niches  containing  statues  of  twenty -eight  French  kings. 
The  church  contains  some  fine  ancient  stained  glass  windows  well 
worth  inspection.  The  house  will  hold  20,000  persons.  The  choir 
or  burial  chapel  which  surrounds  the  main  altar  contains  monuments 
to  noted  archbishops  of  Paris,  who  had  been  famous  in  their  day. 


OR,    TWO   YANKEES   IN   EUROPE.  153 

The  wood  carvings  are  especially  worth  examining.  In  the  treasury 
is  to  be  found  a  vast  collection  of  solid  gold  and  silver  ornaments, 
used  on  altars,  and  many  set  in  precious  stones  of  priceless  value. 
These  have  been  collected  for  ages,  and  were  presents  from  kings  and 
queens.  Here  is  also  to  be  seen  what  is  supposed  to  be  fragments  of 
the  crown  of  thorns  and  the  true  cross  as  well  as  a  nail  from  the  latter, 
also  many  ecclesiastical  vestments  embroidered  in  gold  and  silver  and 
set  with  precious  stones.  Large  silver  busts  of  St.  Denis  and  St.  L,ouis 
are  shown,  as  well  as  the  blood-stained  garments  of  Archbishop  Dar- 
boy,  who  was  murdered  by  the  Commune.  During  the  first  revolu- 
tion the  Notre  Dame  was  condemned  to  destruction,  but  the  decree 
was  rescinded,  the  sculptures  only  being  demolished.  It  was  at  this 
time  converted  into  a  "  Temple  of  Reason,"  but  Napoleon  I.  restored 
it  to  its  original  purpose  in  1802.  In  the  Commune  of  1871  it  was 
used  as  a  military  depot  and  afterwards  an  attempt  was  made  to  burn 
it,  but  fortunately  without  success. 

In  leaving  the  church  I  noticed  two  contribution  boxes  posted  in 
one  of  the  aisles.  The  first  was  labeled  "  For  Souls  in  Purgatory," 
while  the  other  bore  a  card  "  For  the  tooth  of  St.  Peter."  The  Cap- 
tain insisted  in  dropping  ten  centimes  in  each  box. 

The  Madeleine,  or  Church  of  St.  Mary  Magdalene,  was  started  in 
1764  and  the  ceremonies  of  laying  the  foundation  were  by  L/ouis  XV. 
The  bui  ding  was  not  completed  until  1842,  or  78  years  after  it  was 
commenced.  This  was  caused  by  the  interruptions  made  by  wars  and 
changes  of  government  during  that  period.  The  cost  of  the  building 
was  $2, 600,000.  The  structure  is  a  most  imposing  one,  and  the  fron' 
is  supported  by  great  columns.  Over  the  front  the  carvings  represent 
the  L,ast  Judgment,  while  the  two  bronze  doors  are  adorned  with 
groups  illustrating  the  Ten  Commandments.  There  are  no  stained 
glass  nor  side  windows  in  the  Madeleine,  it  is  a  church  without  win- 
dows, but,  in  place,  six  niches  are  built  on  each  side,  containing  life 
size  statues  of  the  saints.  The  music  here  is  very  fine,  especially  Sun- 
day morning.  During  the  civil  war  which  followed  the  siege  of  Paris, 
the  Madeleine  was  in  considerable  danger.  A  barricade  defended  by 
cannon  was  erected  by  the  insurgents  across  the  Rue  Royale,  immedi- 
ately in  front  of  the  church,  and  in  the  conflict  between  the  troops  of 
the  Republic  and  the  Commune,  many  houses  were  destroyed.  When 
the  rebels  were  finally  overcome,  hundreds  sought  refuge  in  the 
Madeleine  and  were  killed  on  the  spot. 


OR,  TWO  YANKEES  IN  EUROPE.  155 

The  morning  after  our  arrival  in  Paris,  I  came  down  to  the  read- 
ing room  of  our  hotel,  and  found  the  Captain  busily  looking  over  the 
contents  of  a  French  morning  paper  and  humming  in  rather  a  loud 
tone,  "The  Watch  on  the  Rhine,"  while  near  by  sat  half  a  dozen  an- 
gry looking  Frenchmen,  who  nervously  glanced  at  their  papers  and 
then  at  the  Captain.  I  immediately  took  in  the  situation,  and  going 
up  to  my  friend  quietly  asked  him  what  he  was  doing,  and  if  he  did 
not  notice  that  he  was  attracting  attention. 

"  What's  the  matter  with  me  ?  "  asked  the  Captain. 

"  Why,  that  tune  you  are  humming,"  I  replied. 

"  Well,  what  of  it?  "  came  the  question; 

"  It  is  the  '  Watch  on  the  Rhine,'  the  German  national  tune,  and 
those  people  do  not  like  it,"  I  replied.  "  Don't  you  know  there  is  a 
hatred  between  the  French  and  Germans?  " 

"  Was  that  the  'Watch  on  the  Rhine?'"  asked  the  Captain. 
"  why  I  thought  it  was  '  The  Marseille*,'  and  I  was  simply  humming 
it  to  please  these  people." 

I  asked  the  Captain  out  to  have  a  cigar,  in  order  to  get  him  away. 

A  drive,  the  most  beautiful  drive  in  the  world,  is  to  be  found  over 
the  Champs  Elysees  and  through  the  Bois  de  Boulogne.  The  Champs 
Elysees  starts  in  at  the  Place  de  la  Concorde,  the  largest  and  finest 
square  in  Paris.  Yes,  the  same  may  be  said  of  this  as  of  the  above 
thoroughfare,  the  finest  square  in  the  world.  The  Place  de  la  Con- 
corde is  1200  by  700  feet,  and  at  night  presents  a  dazzling  sight. 

Here  also  is  erected  the  Obelisk  of  Luxor,  and  this  site  has  a  tragic 
history.  It  was  during  the  Reign  of  Terror,  in  1793,  that  a  guillotine 
was  erected  on  this  spot,  and  its  first  victims  were  Louis  XVI.  and 
Marie  Antoinette.  Between  January  of  that  year  and  May  1795,  up- 
ward of  2000  persons  were  beheaded  here. 

From  the  center  of  this  place  the  Champs  Elysees  leads  to  the 
Arc  de  Triomphe,  a  magnificent  avenue  lined  with  elegant  residences 
including  the  Palais  de  1'Elysees,  erected  in  1718,  and  now  the  official 
residence  of  the  President  of  the  Republic.  The  avenue  is  lined  on 
both  sides  with  trees  and  promenades.  The  Arc  de  Triomphe  is  the 
largest  triumphal  arch  in  existence.  It  was  begun  by  Napoleon 
I.  in  1806,  and  completed  in  1836  by  Louis  Philippe.  The  arch  is  67 
feet  high  and  46  feet  wide,  while  the  whole  structure  is  160  feet  high 
and  146  feet  wide  and  72  feet  deep.  It  cost  upward  of  £2,000,000. 


a 


a 
8. 

u 


OR,  tWO  YANKEES  IN  EUROPE.  157 

From  the  arc  lead  twelve  beautiful  avenues,  the  chief  of  which  is  the 
Bois  de  Boulogne.  This  section  of  the  city  is  a  wooded  one,  and 
covers  hundreds  of  acres,  with  roads  and  paths  innumerable. 

On  the  other  side  of  the  Seine,  in  the  rear  of  the  Notre  Dame,  is 
the  morgue,  open  for  inspection  daily.  Here  are  displayed  on  mar- 
ble slabs  the  dead  bodies  of  those  found  in  the  river  and  other  places, 
who  are  not  known.  These  slabs  are  placed  in  front  of  a  glass  parti- 
tion, where  the  public  can  view  the  dead,  and  if  possible  recognize 
who  they  are.  The  clothes  in  which  they  are  found  are  displayed 
with  them.  By  a  system  of  refrigeration  it  is  said  that  these  bodies 
can  be  kept  for  three  months. 

The  Jardin  des  Plantes,  or  Palm  Garden,  lies  a  little  distance  be- 
yond the  morgue.  Here  is  a  good  zoological  show,  but  .a  poor  plant 
display,  when  some  of  the  other  gardens  I  have  visited  are  con- 
sidered. 

Near  the  foot  of  the  Rue  de  la  Faix,  which  starts  in  next  to  the 
Avenue  de  la  Opera,  opposite  the  Opera  House,  is  the  Place  Vendome, 
where  stands  the  Column  Vendome,  erected  in  1806  by  Napoleon  I.  to 
commemorate  his  victories  over  the  Russians  and  Austrians.  The  col- 
umn is  of  masonry  encrusted  with  bronze  plates,  and  is  142  feet  high 
and  13  feet  in  diameter. 

While  located  at  our  hotel  in  Paris,  the  Captain  noticed  a  very 
handsome  clock  in  the  reading  room  and  inquired  of  the  manager 
where  it  came  from. 

"  Right  here  in  Paris,"  was  the  reply.     "  I  bought  it  in  this  city." 

Nothing  further  was  said  until  a  few  days  after,  when  the  Captain 
again  accosted  the  manager  and  remarked  to  him  that  he  understood 
him  to  say  the  clock  in  question  was  bought  in  Paris. 

"  So  it  was,"  he  replied. 

"  Well,  that  is  very  strange,"  remarked  the  Captain,  "  for  I  have 
looked  your  directory  over  to  find  the  fellow  who  made  it,  but  his 
name  does  not  appear. ' ' 

"  I  do  not  understand  how  you  could  have  looked  for  his  name," 
was  the  reply,  "  when  I  did  not  tell  you  what  it  was." 

"  His  name,"  said  the  Captain,  "can't  I  read  ?  "  There  it  is  right 
on  the  face  of  the  clock,  '  Tempus  Fugit,  Paris,  France.'  " 

And  as  I  was  just  approaching  the  Captain  and  heard  the  conver- 
sation, I  made  a  bee  line  for  the  smoking  room. 


OR,   TWO  YANKEES  IN   EUROPE.  159 

A  place  that  will  undoubtedly  interest  an  American  tourist  in  Paris 
is  the  Catacombs.  Admission  can  usually  be  obtained  by  application 
to  the  Prefect  of  the  Seine,  at  the  Hotel  de  Ville  or  city  hall.  I  had 
no  difficulty  in  securing  a  permit.  The  Catacombs  are  open  for  the 
inspection  of  ticket  holders  the  first  and  third  Saturdays  of  each 
month.  This  burial  place,  or  rather  resting  place  for  the  bones  of  the 
departed,  is  located  on  the  left  bank  of  the  river,  and  covers  an  area 
almost  the  length  of  the  city.  It  has  about  sixty  entrances.  For- 
merly this  was  a  subterranean  quarry,  and  was  worked  as  far  back  as 
the  Roman  period.  Upon  entering  the  Catacombs  each  visitor  must 
carry  a  torch,  which  costs  50  centimes  ( 10  cents)  at  the  entrance,  and 
included  in  this  is  a  guard  of  cardboard  to  protect  the  clothing  from 
the  melting  wax.  It  takes  about  one  hour  to  make  the  tour.  The 
quarries  were  first  used  for  Catacombs  in  1 786,  and  during  the  French 
Revolution  and  Reign  of  Terror  immense  numbers  of  bodies  and 
bones  were  thrown  in  these  cavities  in  a  confused  state,  and  remained 
so  until  1810  when  a  regular  system  was  organized  for  the  arrange- 
ment and  disposition  of  their  resting  places. 

Of  course  every  one  going  to  Paris  wants  to  visit  and  ascend  the 
Eiffel  Tower,  which  was  the  attraction  of  the  last  Paris  exposition, 
and  was  what  suggested  our  World's  Fair  Ferris  Wheel.  The  Eiffel 
Tower  is  located  on  a  portion  of  the  1889  exhibition  ground,  close  by 
the  Seine  and  opposite  the  Trocadero.  This  enormous  structure  is 
the  loftiest  monument  in  the  world,  being  984  feet  high,  or  nearly 
twice  as  high  as  the  Washington  monument  at  our  national  capital, 
which  is  555  feet.  It  is  indeed  an  interesting  specimen  of  what  can 
be  accomplished  in  accurate  skill  in  design  and  modern  engineering. 
Owing  to  an  optical  delusion  the  tower  appears  at  close  range  much 
lower  than  it  really  is.  The  foundation  was  sunk  forty-six  feet,  and 
the  base  of  the  structure  covers  two  and  one-half  acres,  consisting 
of  a  graceful  framework  of  iron.  The  tower  has  three  landing  places 
or  platforms.  The  first  is  190  feet  high,  and  has  an  area  of  5860 
square  yards.  The  second  is  380  feet  high,  and  covers  an  area  of  32 
square  yards,  while  the  third  is  904  feet  high,  and  will  hold  8co  peo- 
ple at  one  time.  On  a  clear  day  there  is  a  view  of  ninety  miles  in 
length.  An  elevator  makes  the  trips  up  and  down  at  a  cost  of  twenty 
cents  for  first  platform,  forty  cents  for  second  and  eighty  cents  for 
third  platform.  On  Sundays  and  fete  days  the  price  is  just  one-half. 


OR,   TWO  YANKEES   IX   EUROPE.  l6l 

Restaurants,  caf£s,  stores  and  a  theatre  are  to  be  seen  on  the  different 
landings. 

The  Captain  was  in  the  smoking  room  of  our  hotel  one  evening, 
when  I  introduced  him  to  a  gentleman  with  whom  I  was  conversing, 
and  whom  I  had  met  on  several  occasions  while  in  Paris. 

"  I  am  glad  to  meet  you,  Captain,"  was  the  response,  "I  have 
observed  you  several  times,  and  supposed  you  were  an  English  visitor 
here." 

"  What's  that  ?  "  said  the  Captain. 

"  I  took  you  for  an  Englishman,"  was  the  reply. 

"Well,  sir,"  replied  the  Captain,  "lam  not  an  Englishman.  I 
am  an  American,  sir — an  American  ;  you  might  call  me  a  Yankee." 

The  party  in  question  afterward  referred  to  the  Captain  as  a 
"  real  live  Yankee." 

By  the  way,  the  American  tourist  will  find  some  queer  things  to 
understand  on  his  first  visit  to  Paris.  Let  us  take  for  example  the 
theatre  or  opera.  If  you  secure  your  seats  in  advance,  that  is,  as  late 
as  5  P.  M.  the  day  of  the  performance,  and  even  go  to  the  box  office 
to  buy  them,  there  is  an  extra  charge  of  two  francs  (forty  cents)  each, 
and  when  your  ticket  is  handed  you,  you  pay  ten  centimes  (two  cents) 
for  stamping  it.  In  the  ordinary  theatre  a  reserved  seat  is  not  a  re- 
served seat.  By  this  I  mean  you  do  not  know  what  you  are  going  to 
have  until  you  arrive  at  the  house,  when  you  pass  to  the  center  corri- 
dor, where  behind  a  long  desk-like  enclosure,  sit  three  or  four  typical 
Frenchmen  ;  sometimes  they  are  without  hats  and  at  other  times  they 
wear  tall  silk  head  coverings.  Your  tickets  are  passed  over  to  them, 
and  they  return  you  others,  which  practically  give  you  your  seats.  If 
you  have  more  than  one  they  are  liable  to  be  separated.  If  a  certain 
row  contains  twenty-four  seats,  twenty-four  unnumbered  tickets  are 
sold,  and  as  the  audience  pass  in,  the  numbers  are  given  them,  so 
that  first  comers  usually  fare  the  best. 

Passing  in,  you  are  met  by  old  women  ushers.  When  I  say  old 
women,  I  mean  it  in  every  sense,  as  their  ages  seem  to  be  from  forty- 
five  to  sixty -five  with  a  number  who  looked  as  if  they  might  be  seven- 
ty-five, and  they  were  homely  dames  at  that.  It  seems  to  me  that 
good-looking  young  women  might  be  desirable  in  this  position,  but 
why  the  Parisians  inflict  those  old  crones  on  their  audiences  is  more 
than  I  can  understand. 


l62  MY   FRIEND,   THE  CAPTAIN  ; 

If  you  want  a  program,  you  must  pay  for  it,  and  in  one  instance 
the  usher  forced  a  little  stool  under  my  feet,  much  against  my  wishes, 
and  then  demanded  pay  for  it.  Before  the  curtain  rises,  instead  of 
the  usual  ring  of  the  bell,  there  is  a  series  of  hard  knocks  behind  the 
curtain,  that  might  be  done  by  a  mallet.  This  is  followed  by  three, 
two  and  one  knocks,  when  the  curtain  rises.  At  the  Chatelet  Theatre, 
where  spectacular  shows  are  given,  "Michel  Strogroff "  was  the 
attraction.  Here,  at  intermission,  men  wearing  long  aprons,  like 
shop  hands,  passed  throngh  the  audience  selling  oranges.  Imagine 
an  American  theatre  audience  eating  oranges  between  the  acts,  and 
this  in  August ! 

One  noon  arriving  at  my  hotel  a  little  late  for  lunch,  I  observed 
the  Captain  was  in  rather  a  nervous  condition,  and  he  asked  me  if  I 
would  be  kind  enough  to  make  my  stay  in  the  dining  room  as  short 
as  possible,  as  he  wanted  to  see  me  ;  therefore,  taking  a  quick  lunch, 
I  returned  to  the  Captain,  and  he  asked  me  if  I  would  like  to  take  a 
carriage  and  go  out  to  see  "Complet." 

"  Go  out  where  ?  "  I  asked. 

"  Complet"  was  the  reply,  "  I  have  been  trying  to  get  there  for 
the  last  ten  days.  There  are  cars  and  buses  that  go  out  there,  but 
each  time  I  have  endeavored  to  board  one  the  driver  or  conductor 
has  informed  me  that  he  had  all  the  passengers  the  law  would  allow  ; 
therefore,  I  have  not  been  able  to  get  out  to  the  place,  and  as  I 
observe  the  name  on  so  many  cars  and  buses,  it  must  be  an  interest- 
ing place  to  visit. 

When  I  informed  the  Captain  the  word  "  Complet "  on  a  car  or 
bus  meant  that  it  was  full,  and  no  more  passengers  would  be  allowed, 
he  grew  red  in  the  face  and  actually  accused  me  of  trying  to  evade 
the  visit  with  him,  and  the  last  I  saw  of  him,  he  was  endeavoring  to 
make  a  hack  driver  understand  he  wanted  to  go  to  "Complet." 


OR,  TWO  YANKEES  IN  EUROPE.  163 


CHAPTER  XII, 
Still  Doing  Paris, 

BY  WAY  of  explanation,  I  will  say  that  it  is  the  custom  in  Paris 
to  welcome  yon  with  a   ' '  good-day ' '  and  leave  you   with   a 
"  good -by  "   in   the   stores  you  visit.     The   Captain   noticed 
this,  and  one  day  asked  me  if  I  knew  the  French  for   "  good- 
by."     I  told  him  it  was  au  revoir,  and  gave  it  no  further  thought  un- 
til we  were  leaving  a  store  where  we  had   been   making  some   slight 
purchases,  when  I  was  amazed  by  the  Captain  lifting  his  hat  as  we 
departed,  and  saying,  "  Mon  Dieu.  Monsieur." 

"  What  did  you  say  that  for  ?  "     I  asked. 

"  I  bade  him  good -by,"  replied  the  Captain. 

"  Do  you  know  what  you  said  to  him  ?  "    I  again  asked. 

"  Yes,  good-by,"  was  the  response. 

"  No,  your  remark  was  far  different,"  I  returned.  "You  said, 
'  Mon  Dieu,'  that  is  French  for  '  My  God.'  " 

The  Captain  said  he  would  take  his  French  lessons  in  the  future 
from  some  one  who  understood  the  language,  and  not  from  me. 

There  is  one  thing  that  attracted  my  attention  and  that  is  the  un- 
mannerly way  in  which  Europeans  gaze  at  an  American,  particularly 
in  hotels,  and  more  especially  in  the  dining  rooms.  I  do  not  think 
this  practice  is  as  noticeable  in  Paris  as  it  is  in  Germany  and  Switzer- 
land. I  have  seen  the  natives,  while  at  table,  lean  on  their  elbows 
and  gaze  for  fully  five  minutes  at  a  particular  person.  We  would  call 
this  anything  but  polite,  but  to  cap  the  climax  is  to  observe  them 
pick  their  teeth  while  so  engaged,  and  use  their  knives  to  convey  food 
to  their  mouths. 

Paris  has  two  fine  art  galleries,  the  Louvre  and  the  Luxembourg. 
The  Louvre  is  without  doubt  one  of  the  most  famous  in  the  world. 
The  foundation  was  laid  in  1541,  but  this  building  was  not  wholly 
completed  until  1852,  under  Napoleon  III.  It  formed  a  part  of  the 


OR,   TWO  YANKEES  IN   EUROPE.  165 

Palace  of  the  Tuileries.  The  lower  floor  is  given  up  to  sculptures, 
both  ancient  and  modern,  and  contains  many  statues  of  celebrity,  in- 
cluding, I  might  add,  the  Venus  of  Milo,  which  was  found  by  a 
peasant  in  the  island  of  Melos,  now  Milo,  in  1820,  and  sold  to  the 
French  government  for  6000  francs  or  $1200.  Several  museums  of  an 
interesting  character  are  distributed  in  different  salons,  and  contain 
many  ancient  and  valuable  curiosities.  The  picture  galleries  contain 
about  3000  select  works,  and  are  distributed  in  about  twenty-five 
salons.  Here  are  to  be  found  masterpieces  of  Rubens,  Rembrandt, 
Van  Dyck,  and  many  other  notable  masters.  It  would  be  impossible 
to  do  them  justice  in  a  description  in  these  pages. 

The  Luxembourg  collection  is  displayed  in  the  old  Luxembourg 
Palace,  which  was  erected  by  Marie  de  Medicis,  widow  of  Henry  IV., 
in  1615,  and  is  now  the  seat  of  the  French  Senate.  This  palace  con- 
tinued to  be  a  royal  residence  down  to  the  Revolution,  and  its  last 
occupant,  the  Count  of  Provence,  afterwards  Louis  XVIII.,  left  it  in 
June,  1791.  Part  of  this  palace  is  open  for  inspection,  except  on  Sun- 
days, and  will  well  repay  a  visit.  The  gallery,  which  occupies  a 
ground  floor,  is  in  the  rear  of  the  palace,  and  contains  only  works  of 
living  artists.  The  collection  is  not  very  large,  yet  it  is  an  interest- 
ing one  and  is  of  a  less  religious  character  than  many  of  the  collec- 
tions shown  in  the  old  galleries,  and  is  quite  a  relief  from  the  regular 
exhibits  one  sees  in  all  parts  of  Rurope. 

The  most  beautiful  open  spot  in  all  Paris  is  the  Garden  of  the 
Tuileries,  famous  the  world  over  for  its  connection  with  the  Palace  of 
the  Tuileries,  the  adored  home  of  kings  and  emperors.  Part  of  the 
garden  is  fenced  in,  and  only  open  at  certain  hours.  Here  are  to  be 
found  a  large  number  of  marble  statues  and  groups,  mostly  the  works 
of  modern  sculptors.  A  military  band  gives  concerts  in  the  gardens 
daily,  with  the  exceptions  of  Mondays  and  Fridays,  from  5  to  6  p.  M. 

On  the  left  bank  of  the  Seine,  and  occupying  about  thirty  acres  of 
ground,  stands  the  Hotel  des  Invalides,  or  what  we  might  call  the 
soldiers'  home.  This  was  founded  in  1670  by  Louis  XIV.  Soldiers 
who  have  been  disabled  by  wounds  or  who  have  given  thirty  years  to 
the  service  of  their  country,  are  admitted  here.  The  building  was 
originally  intended  to  accommodate  about  5000  persons,  but  the  aver- 
age number  of  dwellers  here  is  not  over  400,  as  most  of  the  old  veter- 
ans prefer  to  take  their  pensions  and  live  independently.  The  front 


166  MY  FRIEND,   THE  CAPTAIN  ; 

of  the  building  faces  a  large  enclosure,  fenced  around,  and  in  which  is 
quite  a  display  of  cannon.  Entering  the  building  through  an  arched 
doorway  one  finds  himself  in  the  Cour  d'  Honneur,  enclosed  by 
arcades  under  the  main  building,  and  adorned  by  a  series  of  mas- 
sive paintings  on  the  sides  of  the  building,  mostly  representing  scenes 
in  the  lives  of  Charlemagne,  St.  Louis,  Louis  XIV.  and  Napoleon  I. 
In  the  building  are  to  be  found  several  military  museums,  open  on 
certain  days. 

Passing  though  the  arcade  on  the  left  as  you  enter,  and  through  a 
passageway,  the  tourist  is  brought  before  one  of  the  most  interesting 
places  in  all  France — the  tomb  of  Napoleon  I.  The  interior  of  the 
building  is  circular  and  finished  in  white  marble  with  a  magnificent 
dome  surmounting  it.  The  tomb  is  situated  directly  beneath  the 
dome  in  an  open  circular  crypt,  twenty  feet  in  depth  and  thirty-six 
feet  in  diameter.  The  walls  are  of  polished  granite  adorned  with  ten 
-marble  reliefs,  and  there  are  twelve  colossal  statues  of  Victories,  while 
six  trophies,  consisting  of  sixty  battle  flags  gives  enchantment  to  the 
last  resting  place  of  this  great  soldier.  As  I  leaned  over  the  marble 
balustrade,  the  eloquent  words  of  Col.  Robert  G.  Ingersoll  in  his  '"  At 
the  Tomb  of  Napoleon,"  passed  through  my  mind.  Entering  this 
building  at  the  right  is  the  tomb  of  Joseph  Bonaparte,  once  King  of 
Spain,  and  at  the  left  is  that  of  Jerome  Bonaparte,  once  King  of  West- 
phalia. In  the  rear  is  a  chapel,  not  opened  to  the  public,  where  serv- 
ices are  held  on  the  anniversary  of  his  death.  Opposite  the  entrance 
to  the  chapel,  from  the  tomb  building  is  the  entrance  to  the  tomb, 
which  is  twenty  feet  below  the  audience  balustrade,  and  over  the  door 
of  this  entrance  are  these  words:  "Je  desire  que  mes  cendres 
reposent  sur  les  bords  de  la  Seine,  au  milieu  de  ce peuple  Francaise 
quej'ai  tant  aime"  which  translated  reads,  "  I  desire  that  my  ashes 
may  rest  on  the  banks  of  the  Seine,  in  the  midst  of  the  French  peo- 
ple, whom  I  have  so  well  loved." 

The  Captain  was  very  much  impressed  with  this  place,  and  while 
busily  engaged  in  doing  the  grounds  noticed  several  gentlemen  wear- 
ing a  red  ribbon  in  their  left  buttonholes. 

"  Do  you  know  what  that  signifies?"  he  asked. 

"  I  told  him  they  were  members  of  the  Legion  of  Honor,  and 
thought  nothing  more  of  the  matter  until  a  day  or  two  after,  when  we 
were  on  our  way  down  the  Boulevard  des  Italiens,  and  the  Captain 


OR,   TWO   YANKEES   IN   EUROPE.  167 

stopped  before  a  jewelry  store,  in  which  was  displayed  a  variety  of 
decorations. 

"  I  see  something  I  have  been  looking  for,"  said  the  Captain,  as 
he  entered  the  store  and  I  followed. 

When  the  attendant  appeared  the  Captain  pointed  to  a  cross  of  the 
Legion  of  Honor,  and  asked  the  price. 

"  Fifty  francs,"  was  the  reply. 

"  I'll  take  it,"  said  the  Captain  as  he  deposited  that  amount  on 
the  counter. 

"  What  did  you  buy  that  for  ?  "  I  asked,  as  we  left  the  store. 

"  It's  the  Legion  of  Honor,"  he  replied. 

"  But  what  are  you  going  to  do  with  it  ?  "  I  again  asked. 

"  Wear  it,"  said  the  Captain. 

"  But  in  order  to  wear  it  you  must  be  decorated  for  some  valiant 
deed,  and  this  is  done  by  the  President  of  France,"  I  replied. 

"That's  all  right  as  far  as  you  have  got  it,"  was  the  reply,  "but  I 
have  carried  my  gun  and  swung  my  sword  on  many  a  bloody  battle- 
field in  the  war  for  the  Union,  and  I  propose  to  decorate  myself." 

And  then  the  Captain  lit  a  cigar  that  cost  him  one  franc  fifty 
centimes,  while  I  walked  by  his  side  a  much  meeker  man  than  was 
Moses  himself. 

The  Palais  Royal — it  does  not  look  much  like  a  palace  in  these 
last  days  of  the  nineteenth  century — is  said  to  be  an  accurate  reflex 
of  the  history  of  Paris  for  two  and  a  half  centuries.  This  historic 
building  was  erected  by  Cardinal  Richelieu  in  1629,  and  was  originally 
called  the  Palais  Cardinal.  Anne  of  Austria,  with  her  two  sons,  Louis 
XIV.  and  Philip  of  Orleans,  occupied  it  after  the  cardinal's  death. 
Since  her  day  it  has  been  known  by  its  present  name.  On  ascending' 
the  throne  Louis  XIV.  presented  the  palace  to  his  younger  brother, 
and  after  Philip's  death  two  generations  of  the  Orleans  family  occu- 
pied it  as  a  residence  ;  through  them  it  was  brought  in  bad  repute. 
Having  exhausted  his  means  the  grandson  of  Philip  built  a  series  of 
arcades  or  stores  around  the  courtyard,  and  let  them  to  shopkeepers. 
They  are  occupied  for  that  purpose  to  this  day,  and  a  journey  around 
among  these  stores  must  be  nearly  one  mile  in  length.  I  toured  this 
section.  It  is  indeed  interesting,  as  fully  or  e-half  of  the  stores  are  for 
the  sale  of  jewelry,  from  the  bogus  to  the  finest  made  goods. 

Under  the  consulate  of  Napoleon  I.  the  palace  was  called  the 
galit€,  and  later  Palais  du  Tribunal,  but  at  the  restoration  the 


Tomb  of  Napoleon,  Hotel  des  Invalides,  Paris, 


OR,    TWO   YANKEES   IN    EUROPE.  169 

palace  again  reverted  to  the  Orleans  family,  and  Louis  Philippe  occu- 
pied it  until  1830.  In  the  revolution  of  1848  the  mob  wrecked  the 
royal  apartments  and  destroyed  the  greater  part  of  the  pictures. 
From  then  until  the  time  of  Napoleon  III.  the  palace  was  called 
Palais  National,  biit  when  he  became  emperor,  Napoleon  restored  its 
present  name.  In  1871  the  Communists  repeated  the  raid  of  1848  on 
the  royal  apartments,  but  luckily  most  of  the  works  of  value  had  been 
removed.  The  south  wing  was  destroyed  by  fire,  but  has  since  been 
restored. 

On  the  highest  ground  in  Paris,  on  the  left  bank  of  the  Seine,  is  a 
most  imposing  structure  built  in  the  form  of  a  Greek  cross,  known  as 
the  Pantheon.  The  foundation  was  laid  in  1764  by  Louis  XV.  It  is 
375  feet  long  by  275  feet  wide,  with  a  dome  272  feet  high.  The 
Pantheon  was  originally  built  for  a  church,  and  was  used  for  that 
purpose  for  many  years,  but  is  now  a  monument  of  architecture  of 
over  a  century  gone  by.  The  interior  is  simple  and  exceedingly  bare, 
the  walls  are  ornamented  with  mammoth  paintings  on  canvas,  that 
are  fastened  to  the  walls  by  means  of  white  lead.  They  represent 
scenes  of  an  historic  nature.  Above  these  are  elaborate  friezes  in  oil, 
artistic  in  design.  In  the  basement  are  the  old  burial  vaults,  where 
formerly  were  buried  Voltaire,  Marat,  Mirabeau  and  others,  but  their 
bodies  were  afterwards  removed.  The  latest  addition  here  is  that  of 
the  remains  of  Sadi  Carnot,  the  late  President  of  the  Republic,  who 
was  assassinated  in  1894.  The  Pantheon  was  in  the  hands  of  the 
Commune  for  two  days  in  May,  1871,  and  Millie're,  one  of  the  princi- 
pal leaders,  was  shot  dead  upon  the  front  steps. 

Paris  is  full  of  Americans  —  I  believe  I  made  this  statement  once 
before.  It  is  rather  interesting  to  notice  to  what  degree  they  will  go 
in  sight-seeing  over  here — what  places  they  will  visit,  not  only  in 
Paris,  but  in  all  their  European  travels,  that  they  would  not  think  of 
visiting  at  home.  There  are  many  attractions  of  a  more  interesting 
nature  right  at  their  own  doors,  which  they  have  never  seen,  or  would 
never  think  of  going  to  see.  Verily,  the'  Yankee  is  a  curious  bird, 
almost  as  much  so  as  his  English  cousin. 

Paris  is  full  of  "guides."  One  cannot  step  fifty  feet  from  his 
hotel  but  he  is  spotted  and  asked  if  he  wants  to  "  see  the  sights."  In 
most  cases  these  guides  will  tell  you  they  are  American  citizens,  or 
lived  in  New  York,  They  appeal  to  you  as  Americans,  But  beware 


i  yo 


MY   FRIEND,   THE   CAPTAIN  ; 


of  them  ;  they  are  only  "coppers  "so  to  speak.  They  will  charge 
you  a  fee  for  taking  you  around,  and  receive  a  big  commission  on 
whatever  you  buy,  and  you  will  pay  double  for  everything  you  pur- 
chase under  their  direction.  Here  is  a  copy  of  a  card  one  of  them 
passed  to  me  while  I  was  there  : 


PHILIPS    EXCURSION. 

PARIS    BY   NIGHT. 

Music  Halls,  Balls,  Special  Shows,  Night  Cafes, 
Different  Sights. 

Starting  every  evening  at  8.30  from  18  Rue  de  la  Paix. 
FARE,   1O   SHILLINGS   EACH. 

Admittances,  Drinks,  Fees  and  Everything 
Included. 

Nothing  to  pay  in  advance.  No  extra  charges. 


This  was  cheap  enough  for  an  "  excursion  "  of  that  kind,  for  one 
Boston  man  who  was  here  told  me  that  he  went  out  with  a  party  of 
five,  and  it  cost  them  $75  for  about  two  hours'  "sight-seeing." 
There  was  another  inducement  in  the  above,  "  drinks  free." 

Paris,  yes,  France,  may  well  be  proud  of  her  Opera  House.  I  say 
France,  because  the  opera  here  is  a  government  affair,  owned  and 
controlled  by  the  same.  The  building  was  commenced  in  1861  and 
completed  in  1874,  and  is  the  largest  amusement  hall  in  the  world. 
It  covers  an  area  of  122,364  square  feet,  or  13,596  square  yards — nearly 
three  acres.  Yet  it  only  contains  a  seating  capacity  for  2156  persons, 
for  the  reason  that  nearly  all  the  gallery  room  except  the  top  tier,  is 
given  up  to  private  boxes.  The  land  and  building  cost  over  $14,000,- 
ooo,  and  the  building  cannot  be  surpassed  for  its  lavish  decorations 
and  magnificent  finish.  Entering  the  gilded  gates,  the  visitor  passes 
to  the  grand  staircase,  built  of  marble,  thirty-two  feet  wide.  The 
floor  is  divided  into  an  orchestra,  pit  and  amphitheatre,  with  a  row 
of  boxes  on  each  side  ;  the  first,  second  and  third  galleries  are  en- 
tirely of  boxes,  the  first  and  second  rows  belonging  to  subscribers 


OR,  TWO  YANKEES  IN  EUROPE.  171 

and  cannot  be  sold,  the  thL'd  tier  only  are  offered  the  public.  The 
fourth  gallery  contains  the  cheapest  seats,  which  cost  from  sixty 
cents  to  $1.50  each.  The  stage  is  196  feet  high,  178  feet  wide  and  74 
feet  deep.  A  grand  indoor  and  balcony  promenade  runs  the  entire 
width  of  the  building.  Opera  is  given  every  night  during  the  sea- 
son. Off  season,  and  during  the  summer  months,  it  must  be  given  at 
least  three  times  a  week.  Each  night  when  the  opera  is  open,  a  horse 
guard,  mounted  on  a  charger,  stands  in  front  of  the  main  entrance, 
and  a  guard  paces  up  and  down  the  top  landing  of  the  front,  while 
guards  or  soldiers  are  stationed  at  each  entrance,  and  your  tickets 
must  be  shown  to  them  before  you  can  pass  in.  Once  in,  soldiers  are 
to  be  found  in  charge,  and  "  old  women  "  ushers  show  you  your  seats. 
One  of  the  latter  entered  the  box  in  which  I  sat,  and  asked  me  if  I 
would  be  kind  enough  to  give  her  a  tip.  An  orchestra  of  seventy- 
five  pieces  furnishes  the  music,  included  in  this  are  thirty-one  violins. 
The  opera  at  Paris  is  indeed  a  grand  treat  to  an  American  visiting 
that  city.  Speaking  on  this  subject,  why  would  it  not  be  a  grand 
idea  for  the  United  States  government  to  foster  something  of  this 
kind  at  our  national  capital  ?  If  we  do  it,  we  want  to  do  it  well.  If 
France  can  afford  it,  certainly  we  ought  to  be  able  to  do  so. 

The  Captain  and  I  were  walking  along  the  street  one  day,  when 
we  noticed  a  large  number  of  vacant  stores  with  a  sign  in  the  same 
reading,  "  A  Lotier,"  meaning  "To  Let."  The  Captain,  after  we 
had  passed  a  number,  remaiked,  "  That  fellow,  A.  Louer,  owns  more 
stores  than  any  other  man  in  Paris." 

I  asked  the  Captain  if  he  would  not  join  me  in  a  Turkish  bath. 

The  Trocadero  Palace  and  Gardens  lie  directly  opposite  the  Eiffel 
Tower,  just  across  the  Seine.  The  palace  is  in  the  form  of  a  crescent 
and  is  a  magnificent  structure.  It  is  surmounted  by  a  dome  173  feet 
in  diameter,  exceeding  that  of  St.  Peter's  at  Rome  by  35  feet,  and 
that  of  St.  Paul's  at  London  by  65  feet.  The  palace  contains  impor- 
tant salons  devoted  to  sculptures  and  curiosities.  On  the  Seine 
front  is  what  at  a  distance  resembles  a  great  stairway  but  is  a  cascade 
on  which  the  water  is  run  at  certain  periods,  the  whole  presenting  a 
very  fine  effect. 

The  Gobelins  were  formerly  the  royal  tapestry  works  and  are  now 
the  property  of  the  Republic.  The  origin  of  these  works  dates  back 
to  1450.  The  tapestries  manufactured  here  are  the  finest  produced 


0. 

O 

"8 


OR,   TWO  YANKEES  IN   EUROPE.  173 

in  the  world.  In  some  cases  it  takes  several  years  to  complete  a  par- 
ticular design,  and  some  of  the  productions  cost  as  high  as  50,000 
francs,  or  $10,000.  The  works  are  usually  copies  of  well-known  pic- 
tures. These  choice  productions  have  for  a  number  of  generations 
been  reserved  for  the  exclusive  use  of  the  royal  family  for  the  time 
being,  or  have  been  presented  to  foreign  courts,  ambassadors  or  per- 
sons of  distinction.  At  the  present  time  only  about  150  workmen  are 
employed  here. 

Close  to  the  Boulevard  St.  Germain,  at  the  point  where  it  is  crossed 
by  the  Boulevard  St.  Michael,  is  the  Musee  de  Cluny,  or  the  Cluny 
Museum.  On  this  spot  there  once  stood  an  ancient  Roman  palace 
with  baths,  which  the  early  Prankish  kings  continued  to  occupy  un- 
til they  removed  into  the  city.  The  present  building  was  erected  by 
the  Benedictine  monks  at  the  close  of  the  fifteenth  century,  and  is  a 
fine  example  of  the  late  gothic  style.  The  museum  is  one  of  the  most 
valuable  in  France  and  contains  upwards  of  9000  objects. 

If  you  buy  any  article  in  Paris  and  ask  for  a  bill,  you  are  generally 
required  to  pay  two  cents  extra  for  receipting  it.  The  receipt  is  either 
by  stamp  or  machine,  the  latter  being  used  in  large  houses,  and  is 
automatic  and  furnished  by  the  government.  The  revenue  from  this 
belongs  to  the  Republic. 

An  interesting  place  is  the  Conciergerie.  It  was  here  that  most  of 
the  political  prisoners  of  the  first  Revolution  were  confined  before  be- 
ing taken  to  execution.  Marie  Antoinette  was  confined  here.  The 
chamber  occupied  by  her  was  afterward  converted  into  a  chapel,  but 
was  destroyed  by  the  Commune  of  1871.  By  an  act  of  justice,  Robes- 
pierre and  the  other  butchers  of  the  first  Revolution  were  consigned 
here.  In  1833,  Prince  Jerome  Napoleon,  and  in  1890,  the  Duke  of 
Orleans  were  imprisoned  here  for  a  short  time. 

"  Do  you  know  what  is  French  for  dirty  ?  "  asked  the  Captain. 

My  reply  was  that  "  soille  "  would  cover  the  ground,  and  I  asked 
the  Captain  why  he  inquired. 

"Two  or  three  times  I  have  wanted  a  clean  napkin  and  have  had 
some  difficulty  in  making  the  waiter  understand  me,"  was  the  reply. 

I  let  the  matter  pass  from  my  mind,  at  least  for  the  time.  It 
might  have  been  a  week  later,  that  we — the  Captain  'and  myself — 
were  seated  at  lunch,  when  I  noticed  him  beckon  to  the  waiter,  and 
as  he  came  up  the  Captain  said  : 


The  Pantheon,  Paris. 


OR,   TWO   YANKEES  IN   EUROPE.  175 

"Sortie." 

"  Qtie,  Monsieur?  "  answered  the  waiter. 

"Sortie,"  again  returned  the  Captain,  so  I  was  obliged  to  come  to 
his  relief,  and  asked  him  what  he  wanted. 

"A  clean  napkin,"  was  his  reply. 

"  But  why  did  you  say  '  Sortie  '  ?  "  I  asked. 

"  I  meant  my  napkin  was  dirty,"  said  the  Captain. 

"But  'Sortie'  does  not  signify  dirty.  It  means  '  to  go  out,' or 
'exit,'  "  I  replied. 

The  Captain  insisted  that  was  the  translation  I  had  given  him  for 
dirty. 

What  could  I  do  ? 

Why,  like  all  newspaper  men,  I  was  forced  to  give  in. 


176  MY   FRIEND,    THE   CAPTAIN  ; 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

Versailles  and  Fontaincbleau, 

IT  IS  the  custom  in  Paris  to  give  your  cabman  a  tip.  It  is  called 
pour  boire,  or  drink  money,  and  usually  consists  of  twenty-five 
centimes,  or  five  cents  United  States  money.  The  Captain  and 
myself  had  come  in  from  a  short  ride  one  day,  and  the  Captain 
handed  the  driver  the  regular  fare,  and  was  about  to  enter  the  hotel, 
when  that  individual  hailed  him  ard  shouted,  "  Pour  Boire." 

"Poor  boy,"  answered  the  Captain,  "well,  I  am  sorry  for  you, 
here  is  a  quarter  "  and  he  handed  the  man  a  franc.  No  sooner  did 
cocker  receive  it  than  he  whipped  up  his  horse  and  got  out  of  sight, 
as  he  evidently  thought  the  Captain  would  repent  of  his  generosity 
and  recall  the  gift. 

Twelve  miles  southwest  from  Paris  lies  the  most  interesting  spot 
in  France,  Versailles.  It  is  an  easy  carriage  or  coach  drive  of  two 
hours,  and  the  road  lies  through  the  Bois  de  Boulogne,  St.  Cloud  and 
beautiful  country  suburbs  dotted  with  fine  groves  and  villas  with 
flower  gardens  that  make  one  feel  as  if  he  were  in  Paradise.  Previous 
k>  the  reign  of  Louis  XIII.,  Versailles  was  used  as  a  hunting  ground. 
About  1624  that  monarch  becanle  tired  of  the  court  residence,  then 
St.  Germain,  and  determined  to  build  a  palace  that  would  command 
the  admiration  of  all  Europe  Louis  XIII.  died  in  1643,  when  his 
successor,  Louis  XIV.,  was  but  5  years  old,  consequently  the  young 
king's  mother,  Anne  of  Austria,  became  Queen  Regent,  and  the  new 
court  resided  at  Paris  and  St.  Germain.  Versailles  was  abandoned 
until  1662.  when  Louis  XIV.  was  24  years  old.  Liking  Versailles 
very  much  he  decided  to  enlarge  the  building  and  grounds  and  from 
that  time  to  1682  the  place  underwent  great  changes,  when  the  king 
fixed  his  permanent  residence  here.  In  the  meantime,  the  surround- 
ing country  to  the  extent  of  nearly  fifty  square  miles  was  purchased, 
and  when  finished  the  undertaking  is  said  to  have  cost  over 
$100,000,000.  Yet  you  are  told,  as  you  are  shown  through  the 


OR,   TWO  YANKEES  IN   EUROPE.  177 

palaces,  that  the  expense  was  so  enormous  that  before  he  died  Louis 
XIV.  destroyed  all  the  books  and  accounts  of  this  great  undertaking, 
and  the  actual  outlay  was  never  known. 

Louis  XIV.  disliked  the  French  capital,  Paris.  In  his  new  home 
with  his  mistresses  he  found  life  far  more  to  his  taste.  He  wanted  to 
have  assembled  at  Versailles  and  under  his  eye  all  the  nobility  of 
France,  for  they  had  caused  him  much  trouble,  but  under  this  new 
regime  he  proposed  to  make  them  obey,  therefore,  it  is  said  that 
there  were  in  the  palace  and  dependent  upon  it  more  than  10,000 
people. 

Louis  XV.,  after  the  death  of  his  predecessor,  made  some  further 
changes  and  additions  to  the  palace  and  grounds,  including  a  very 
fine  theatre,  and  several  elegant  apartments  were  fitted  up,  so 
Versailles  continued  to  be  the  seat  of  government  until  1789.  The 
enormous  amount  of  money  that  this  place  cost  and  the  expense  of 
keeping  it  up  impoverished  France  and  was,  no  doubt,  the  cause  of 
the  first  Revolution  in  1789.  At  the  opening  of  this  war  the  rich 
furniture  was  sold  regardless  of  cost  and  was  scattered  here  and 
there.  What  was  not  sold  was  destroyed  by  the  mobs.  Fortunately, 
however,  during  all  the  troublesome  times,  the  palaces  and  parks 
were  preserved  and  remain  today  a  monument  of  the  past  folly  of  a 
great  people  and  yet  a  delight  to  the  civilized  people  of  the  present 
time.  During  the  Empire  it  was  intended  to  demolish  the  buildings 
and  rebuild  them  in  the  Greek-Roman  style.  A  competition  was 
opened,  but  the  expense  was  so  great  that  Napoleon  I.  abandoned  it. 
From  1815  to  1830  Louis  XVIII.  restored  and  repaired  the  place  and 
it  was  inhabited  by  certain  former  servants  of  the  Bourbons,  but  one 
can  judge  who  and  what  they  were,  when  we  are  told  they  hung  their 
washing  out  of  the  windows  to  dry  and  kept  cows  and  goats  on  the 
roof. 

The  evening  after  we  returned  from  Versailles  we  visited  the 
Cirque  d'  Ete  on  the  Champ  d'Elysees.  The  first  part  of  the  per- 
formance was  very  good,  while  the  second  part  was  a  burlesque, 
entitled  "  Barkinson's  Circus."  In  this  act  there  were  two  per- 
formers, one  made  up  evidently  to  represent  a  monkey  and  the  other 
one  to  do  the  introducing.  The  Captain  was  very  much  interested, 
but  was  more  surprised  when  he  heard  the  performer  shout  something 
like  this  : 


Ou, 


OR,   TWO  YANKEES  IN   EUROPE.  I?9 

" Allez-vous  a  travers  la."  Then  burst  out  in  English  :  "  What's 
the  matter  with  you  ?  ' ' 

This  thing  kept  up  for  some  time,  the  man  speaking  a  few  words 
in  French,  but  a  good  deal  more  in  English.  When  he  came  up  near 
the  edge  of  the  ring,  where  sat  the  Captain  and  myself,  turning  to 
me,  the  Captain  remarked  : 

"  I  will  bet  you  two  dollars  that  fellow  is  a  Yankee." 

Imagine  our  surprise  when  the  performer  turned  round  and  bow- 
ing to  us,  remarked  : 

"  Right  you  are." 

And  the  Captain  was  so  delighted  chat  had  I  not  stopped  him,  I 
think  he  would  have  thrown  his  watch  at  the  man. 

I  will  not  attempt  to  describe  the  gardens  of  Versailles.  I  could 
not  do  it  j  ustice.  It  is  one  of  those  places  that  must  be  seen  to  be 
appreciated.  Enormous  in  extent,  grandeur  and  beauty  and  a  para- 
dise in  all.  I  might  mention  that  here  is  the  celebrated  orange  tree 
which  was  planted  by  Leonora,  wife  of  Charles  III.,  King  of 
Navarre,  who  planted  it  in  1421,  and  now,  after  475  years,  it  is  still 
alive  and  in  the  height  of  vigor.  The  terrace  is  adorned  with  flower 
beds  and  two  fountains,  known  as  the  Crowns  and  the  Pyramids. 
Below  the  basin  of  the  Pyramids  are  the  Baths  of  Diana,  and  north 
of  this  lie  the  basins  of  Neptune  and  the  Dragon.  The  former  is  the 
largest  and  most  beautiful  fountain  in  the  world.  It  cost  over 
$300,000  and  is  only  played  on  state  or  special  occasions  as  it  costs 
$2000  to  play  it  for  less  than  half  an  hour.  The  other  fountain  plays 
every  other  Sunday  during  the  summer. 

At  the  extremity  of  the  park  is  the  beautiful  villa  known  as  Le 
Grand  Trianon,  built  by  Louis  XIV.  for  his  favorite  mistress, 
Madame  de  Maintenon.  The  apartments  are  fitted  up  very  fine  and 
were  occupied  by  the  Dukes  of  Orleans  and  Nemours  and  before 
them  by  Napoleon  I.  They  were  intended  to  be  used  by  Queen 
Victoria,  during  her  proposed  visit  to  Louis  Philippe.  In  the  Cabinet 
de  la  Reine  is  the  bed  formerly  occupied  by  Josephine.  This  villa 
was  a  favorite  resort  for  Louis  XIV.,  Louis  XV,,  Louis  XVI.  and  also 
Napoleon  I.  The  decorations  are  rich  and  abound  in  rare  paintings 
and  pieces  of  sculpture. 

From  here  one  goes  to  the  Petit  Trianon,  the  stable  in  which  all 
the  state  carriages  are  kept.  Here  are  shown  four  sleds  owned  by 


i8o  MY  FRIEND,  THE  CAPTAIN  ; 

Louis  XIV.,  the  carriage  used  by  Napoleon  as  First  Consul,  the  one 
used  at  the  coronation  of  Charles  XII.,  and  the  one  used  by  the 
King  of  Rome  and  for  the  marriage  of  Napoleon  III.  and  Eugenie, 
also  the  state  carriage  built  expressly  for  the  Czar  of  Russia  on  his 
visit  to  Paris  In  1896. 

The  Petit  Trianon  was  built  by  Louis  XV.  for  his  mistress, 
Madame  du  Barri.  The  building  is  70  feet  square.  The  place  is 
small  in  comparison  with  the  other  buildings.  In  the  garden  is  a 
pretty  little  theatre,  also  a  Swiss  cottage  erected  for  Marie  Antoinette. 

Entering  the  large  palace  of  Versailles,  we  pass  through  the 
gallery  of  statuary,  which  is  very  fine,  the  most  notable  piece  being 
that  of  Joan  of  Arc,  by  the  late  Princess  Maria  of  Wurtemburg.  In 
the  Salle  de  Constantine  are  to  be  seen  many  fine  pictures  and  from 
here  we  pass  to  the  Salle  de  1'Opara,  where  performances  formerly 
took  place.  Attached  to  the  royal  box  of  the  theatre  is  the  Foyer  du 
Roi,  where  the  court  formerly  partjok  of  refreshments  between  the 
acts.  In  this  hall,  in  1855,  a  grand  banquet  was  given  in  honor  of 
the  visit  of  Queen  Victoria.  Close  to  the  theatre  is  a  gallery  of 
statues  and  busts  that  is  interesting,  and  near  by  a  salon  devoted  to 
pictures  of  battles  fought  during  che  Crusade  in  the  Holy  Land.  The 
next  interesting  place  is  the  gallery  of  Louis  Philippe,  which  con- 
tains a  collection  of  historical  paintings  of  the  Revolution  up  to 
1830,  and  from  here  we  approach  what  is  known  as  the  grand  apart- 
ments, and  which  occupy  all  the  part  of  that  first  floor  of  the  central 
projection  which  faces  the  garden.  Those  on  the  north  were  occu- 
pied by  the  king,  and  those  on  the  south  by  the  queen.  The 
ornamentations  are  paintings  illustrating  the  life  of  Louis  XIV.  One 
of  the  salons  contains  the  "Three  Graces"  of  Pradier.  The  Salon 
de  Mars  was  formerly  used  as  a  ballroom,  and  adjoining  this  was 
what  was  once  the  state  bedroom,  which  contains  a  beautiful  ceiling 
painted  by  Philippe  of  Champagne.  The  Throne  room  comes  next. 
When  Queen  Victoria  visited  here  this  was  used  as  the  ballroom  and 
was  a  scene  of  great  brilliancy.  The  ball  was  opened  with  a  qua- 
drille, the  Emperor  leading  with  Queen  Victoria. 

From  the  Throne  room  we  pass  to  what  is  called  the  most 
beautiful  room  in  the  world,  known  now  as  the  Grande  Galerie  de 
Louis  XIV.,  and  242x35  feet  and  43  feet  high.  The  ceiling  is  a  work 
of  art,  while  the  walls  are  ornamented  with  red  marble  Corinthian 


OR,  TWO  YANKEES  IN  EUROPE.  l8l 

pilasters.  There  are  four  niches  in  which  are  statues  of  Venus, 
Adonis,  Mercury  and  Minerva.  To  the  left  of  this  are  the  private  or 
reserved  apartments  of  the  king.  It  was  from  the  windows  of  one 
of  these  apartments  that  the  royal  family  were  accustomed  to  sit  to 
watch  the  return  of  the  hunters  from  the  chase.  The  handsomest 
room  of  all  the  apartments  is  the  bedroom  of  Louis  XIV.,  and  the 
bed  in  which  he  died  is  still  there.  The  decorations  are  superb. 
Pictures  of  the  royal  family  hang  on  the  walls.  From  here  we  pass 
to  the  chamber  of  Marie  Antoinette,  which  was  successively  occupied 
by  three  queens  named  Marie,  Maria  Theresa,  queen  of  Louis  XIV., 
Maria  Leezinska,  queen  of  L/ouis  XV.,  and  Marie  Antoinette,  queen 
of  Louis  XVI.  On  the  night  of  Oct.  5,  1789,  Marie  Antoinette  was 
asleep  in  this  room  when  the  mob  broke  into  the  palace,  and  she 
made  her  escape  through  a  small  corridor  leading  to  the  grand  ante- 
chamber of  the  king 

We  next  visit  the  magnificent  Salon  du  Sacre,  which  contains 
David's  celebrated  picture  of  "  The  Coronation  of  Napoleon," 
painted  at  a  cost  of  $20, coo.  From  here  we  pass  to  one  of  the  most 
interesting  rooms  in  the  palace,  the  Salle  de  1782,  which  contains 
portraits  of  all  the  heroes  of  the  Revolution  of  1789.  In  the  Escalier 
des  Princes  are  three  fine  marble  statues  of  Napoleon  I.,  Louis 
Philippe  and  Louis  XIV.,  and  at  the  foot  of  the  stairs  is  the  Napoleon 
salon,  containing  statues  and  busts  of  the  Napoleon  family. 

The  Grande  Galerie  des  Batailles  is,  in  my  opinion,  the  finest  salon 
I  ever  entered.  It  is  magnificent,  over  400  feet  long,  and  devoted  to 
mammoth  paintings  of  battles  in  which  the  French  people  took 
part,  from  the  fifth  to  the  nineteenth  century,  and  among  them  was 
the  Battle  of  Yorktowii  in  the  American  Revolution,  with  a  life  size 
picture  of  Washington.  It  will  be  remembered  that  in  this  fight  the 
French  took  an  active  part  in  behalf  of  the  American  forces.  From 
here  we  go  to  the  Attique  du  Midi,  a  suite  of  rooms  devoted  to 
historical  portraits,  where  the  American  visitor  will  recognize  those 
of  Henry  Clay,  Andrew  Jackson,  Daniel  Webster  and  James  K.  Polk. 
It  is  interesting  to  know  that  they  are  in  the  famous  palace  at 
Versailles.  The  tour  is  closed  with  a  view  of  several  other  salons, 
one  containing  portraits  of  all  the  kings  of  France  from  Pharamond 
to  Louis  Philippe. 

Versailles  is  indeed  a  great  place  to  visit,  and  one  that  will  make 
a  lasting  impression  on  the  visitor. 


OR,   TWO  YANKEES  IN   EUROPE.  l8j 

Returning  from  Versailles,  a  stop  was  made  at  Sevres  Porcelain 
Works  owned  by  the  government  and  located  in  the  town  of  that 
name.  In  1759,  at  the  earnest  solicitation  of  Madame  de  Pompadour, 
Louis  XV.  bought  these  works,  and  they  have  since  been  operated  by 
the  state.  The  product  is  the  finest  of  its  kind  in  the  world  and  is 
very  costly.  To  own  a  piece  of  Sevres  is  like  owning  something 
that  your  friends  and  neighbors  do  not  have  or  cannot  get.  Fine-show 
rooms  are  opened  to  the  public,  and  the  process  of  manufacturing  is 
shown  and  explained.  It  is  an  interesting  place  to  visit. 

The  Captain  took  a  seat  in  a  barber  shop  one  afternoon  to  have  a 
shave.  It  is  the  custom  here  to  shave  only  and  let  the  customer 
wash  his  face.  The  Captain  leaned  back  as  well  as  he  could  in 
the  straight  back  chair,  and  was  duly  shaved  or,  as  he  called  it, 
"scraped."  In  the  meantime  he  had  closed  his  eyes,  while  I  was 
busily  engaged  in  reading  a  paper.  The  barber  had  completed  his 
work  and  passed  to  another  customer,  while  the  Captain  slept  on  and 
I  read  my  paper.  Looking  up,  after  some  time,  I  discovered  the 
condition  of  things  and  awoke  the  Captain.  When  I  explained  the 
situation  the  Captain  fell  back  in  his  chair,  remarking  that  he  had 
not  made  any  trade  as  to  price,  and  was  going  to  have  a  shave  and 
clean  up  or  sit  there  all  day.  I  notified  the  barber  that  he  had  better 
get  a  move  on  and  finish  up  the  Captain  or  there  would  be  trouble. 
So  the  job  was  completed,  and  when  the  Captain  asked  the  price  and 
was  told  thirty  centimes,  or  six  cents,  he  rather  knocked  out  the  boss 
of  the  shop  and  all  his  jours  when  he  gave  the  man  one  franc  (twenty 
cents)  as  he  departed. 

Fontainebleau  !  What  a  history  has  Fontainebleau  !  What  tales  its 
walls  could  unfold  were  they  gifted  with  the  power  of  speech  ! 

The  palace  of  Fontainebleau  was  erected  in  1547,  by  Francis  I., 
and  was  considered  of  almost  unparalleled  extent  and  magnificence. 
The  exterior  is  only  two  stories  high,  and  it  is  less  imposing,  com- 
pared with  many  other  noted  buildings  of  this  character,  than  one 
would  suppose.  It  is  the  interior  that  enchants  the  visitor.  It  was 
decorated  by  French  and  Italian  artists,  and  is  much  admired. 
Henry  IV.  made  considerable  additions  to  it,  but  it  has  undergone 
but  few  changes  since  his  time,  except  being  restored  at  a  large 
expense  by  Louis  Philippe  and  Napoleon  III.  There  are  several 
historic  associations  connected  with  the  palace  beside  those  of  which 


OR,   TWO  YANKEES  IN   EUROPE.  185 

mention  will  be  made.  Henry  IV.  caused  his  companion  in  arms, 
Marshal  Biron,  to  be  arrested  here  on  a  charge  of  high  treason 
on  June  4,  1602,  and  a  month  later  had  him  beheaded.  Louis  XIV. 
signed  the  revocation  of  the  Edict  of  Nantes  here  in  1685,  by  which 
Henry  IV.  had  granted  toleration  to  the  Protestants  in  1598,  and  it 
was  here  that  Napoleon  I.  secured  his  divorce  from  Josephine  in 
1809. 

An  hour  by  express  train  from  Paris  and  you  are  at  Fontainebleau. 
The  palace  and  grounds  are  reached  by  carriage  in  fifteen  minutes. 
The  place  is  open  to  visitors  throughout  the  year,  and  it  will 
require  only  one  day  to  make  the  trip,  inspect  the  buildings  and 
return  home.  The  buildings  are  divided  in  five  different  courts.  The 
first,  the  Cour  du  Cheval  Blanc,  is  the  largest,  and  was  the  scene  of 
Napoleon'-s  parting  from  the  grenadiers  of  his  Old  Guard,  on  April 
20,  1814,  after  his  abdication.  It  was  also  here  that  he  viewed  the 
same  troops  before  marching  them  to  Paris,  on  the  2oth  of  March, 
1815. 

On  the  ground  floor  is  the  Chapelle  de  la  Trinit£,  where  Louis 
XV.  was  married  in  1,725  and  the  Due  d'Orleans  iu  1837.  Napoleon 
III.  was  baptized  here  in  1810.  From  here  a  broad  stairway  leads  to 
the  apartments  of  Napoleon  I.  In  this  room  is  to  be  seen  Napoleon's 
bed,  a  clock  ornamented  with  cameos  given  to  Napoleon  by  Pius 
VII.,  and  furniture  brought  from  Mane  Antoinette's  apartments  at 
the  Trianon.  To  the  left  of  this  is  the  S  illi  du  Conceil,  or  council 
chamber,  and  following  we  arrive  at  the  boudoir  of  Marie  Antoinette, 
with  some  historic  furniture  therein. 

The  Galerie  de  Diane,  a  hall  265  feet  long,  and  constructed  under 
the  direction  of  Henry  IV.,  is  adorned  with  elegant  paintings,  repre- 
senting mythological  scenes  and  a  library  of  about  35,000  volumes. 
In  this  room,  in  1657,  Queen  Christina,  of  Sweden,  was  a  guest  of  the 
French  court  after  her  abdication,  and  caused  her  unfortunate  and 
favorite  Count  Monaldeschi  to  ba  put  to  death  after  a  pretended  trial 
for  treason.  The  Salons  de  Reception,  or  reception  rooms,  are  hand- 
somely embellished  with  Gobelin  tapestry.  The  Salon  Louis  XIII. 
is  the  one  in  which  that  king  was  born. 

The  Salles  de  St.  Louis  contain  fifteen  pictures  relating  to  the  life 
of  Henry  IV.  In  the  Salon  aux  Jeux  i°  a  clock  of  Louis  XIV.  The 
Salles  des  Gardes  is  the  last  of  the  suite,  and  is  adorned  with  a  fine 
bust  of  Henry  IV.  There  are  other  apartments  less  interesting,  but 


l86  MY  FRIEND,   THE  CAPTAIN  , 

there  are  two  fine  halls,  one  the  Galerie  d' Henry  II.,  which  is  100x33 
feet,  and  the  other  the  Galerie  de  Francis  I.,  210x20  feet.  Both  are 
embellished  with  paintings,  etc.  To  the  left  of  the  Vestibule 
d'Honneure  are  the  apartments  of  Reines  M£res  and  Pius  VII. 
They  were  once  occupied  by  Catherine  de  Medicis,  Anne  of  Austria, 
mother  of  Louis  XIV.,  and  later  by  Pius  VII.,  who  was  a  prisoner 
from  June,  1812,  to  January,  1814.  A  number  of  other  rooms  follow, 
showing  the  bedrooms  of  Anne  of  Austria  and  Pius  VII.  and  the 
Galerie  des  Assiettes,  which  derives  its  name  from  the  quaint  style  in 
which  it  was  decorated,  by  order  of  Louis  Philippe,  with  plates  of 
porcelain  bearing  views  of  royal  residences. 

The  gardens  of  Fontainebleau  are  fine,  and  well  worth  the  trip. 
The  Avenue  Maintenon  leads  to  the  forests  of  Fontainebleau,  and  the 
decorations  of  the  gardens  are  all  told  in  the  story  of  the  early  days 
of  the  French  Empire.  The  forests  of  Fontainebleau  adjoin,  and  are 
about  fifty  miles  in  circumference  and  cover  about  42,000  acres. 
This  is  regarded  as  the  most  beautiful  place  of  its  kind  in  all  France. 
Volumes  have  been  written  in  which  Fontainebleau  and  its  forests 
have  been  the  central  figure.  It  is  a  grand  place,  and  after  a  tour  of 
its  courts  the  average  visitor  is  filled  with  a  desire  to  study  carefully 
the  history  of  France.  It  will  be  found  much  more  interesting  read- 
ing than  two-thirds  of  the  novels  of  the  present  generation. 

The  Captain  accompanied  me  to  the  Louvre  Art  Gallery,  Paris, 
and  appeared  to  be  interested  in  the  display.  After  passing  through 
the  various  salons,  we  took  our  way  to  the  basement,  where  was  a 
great  exhibition  of  statuary.  This  captured  the  Captain,  and  he 
examined  every  subject  carefully  until  he  came  to  the  Venus  de  Milo, 
when  he  stopped  short. 

"  Come,"  said  he,  "  let  us  get  out  of  here." 

"Why?"  Tasked. 

"  Because,  this  place  is  a  fraud." 

"A  fraud,"  I  answered,  "why,  my  dear  Captain,  this  is  one  of 
the  great  art  galleries  of  Europe  ;  why  do  you  say  it  is  a  fraud  ?  " 

"  Just  look  at  that  statue  of  that  woman,  both  arms  gone.  I  say 
this  is  a  fraud." 

And  the  Captain  pushed  his  hat  on  the  back  of  his  head  and 
strolled  toward  a  looking-glass  near  by,  arranged  his  necktie  and  said 
he  was  ready  to  go. 

We  went. 


OR,  TWO  YANKEES  IN  EUROPE.  187 

In  how  many  ways  has  the  old  proverb,  "Tall  oaks  from  little 
acorns  grow,"  been  observed  in  business  enterprises  !  To  the  visitor 
to  Paris  one  of  the  first  sights  in  the  way  of  commercial  enterprises  is 
the  "  Louvre  Magazine,"  or,  as  we  would  put  it,  the  great  department 
store  of  the  Louvre.  Parisians  are  proud  of  this  great  establishment, 
and  it  is  as  well  known  to  the  regular  visitor  here  as  it  is  to  the 
resident.  Located  directly  at  the  foot  of  the  Avenue  de  1' Opera,  it  is 
within  walking  distance  of  all  the  great  hotels,  or  only  a  few  minutes' 
ride  in  a  cab  or  an  omnibus. 

In  1855,  two  men  who  had  spent  some  years  in  a  commercial  way 
founded  the  Louvre.  They  were  Messrs.  Alfred  Chauchard  and 
Auguste  Heriot.  This  was  a  period  in  which  France  was  beginning 
to  make  a  stride  forward.  It  was  at  this  time  that  a  great  wave  of 
industrial  prosperity  rolled  over  the  country.  The  first  universal 
Exposition  was  in  progress  ;  the  Emperor  Napoleon  III.  cut  through 
and  opened  up  that  splendid  thoroughfare,  the  Rue  de  Rivoli,  and 
other  improvements  were  made  that  commenced  that  transformation 
in  Paris  that  has  since  made  it  known  as  the  most  beautiful  city  in 
the  world.  Great  railroads  were  at  this  time  in  process  of  construc- 
tion, and  the  people  of  the  empire  who  had  been  so  isolated  from  each 
other  began  to  realize  that  they  were  closer  together  as  a  nation.  In 
the  midst  of  all  these  advantages  the  Louvre  Magazine  was  opened 
to  the  public,  and  it  was  certainly  an  event  that  is  remembered  to  this 
day  by  the  older  inhabitants. 

The  proprietors  Messrs.  Chauchard  and  Heriot,  brought  to  their 
enterprise  not  only  a  force  of  organization  but  a  surety  of  taste  that 
made  it  a  gigantic  success.  From  the  first  it  was  their  motto  to 
insure  square  dealing  and  honesty  in  all  transactions,  not  only  with 
their  customers  but  with  their  help  as  well,  and  thus  build  up  a  strong 
organization,  for  they  both  had  something  better  in  view  than  the 
present.  In  the  first  place,  they  adopted  a  fixed  or  one  price  system 
and  bought  their  goods  in  large  quantities.  In  case  goods  were  pur- 
chased and  after  they  were  taken  home  not  liked,  they  could  be 
returned  and  exchanged,  or  the  money  refunded,  thus  securing  one 
of  the  greatest  boons  in  a  business  career,  the  confidence  of  their 
trade. 

In  August,  1879,  Mr.  Heriot  died,  and  in  1885  Mr.  Chauchard 
retired  from  active  business,  in  the  enjoyment  of  a  large  fortune 


•3 

cu 


O 


OR,  TWO  YANKEES  IN  EUROPE.  189 

made  by  a  long  and  honorable  business  career.  He  has,  since  giving 
up  his  active  business  life,  devoted  large  sums  to  the  encouragement 
of  the  arts  and  donated  to  various  philanthropic  societies,  besides 
keeping  his  old  clerks  who  had  been  his  working  companions  in  his 
prosperous  days.  Thus  the  Louvre  Magazine  passed  from  the  hands 
of  its  founders  to  the  present  directors,  who  have  made  it  a  study  to 
follow  out  the  same  lines  which  has  made  this  great  establishment 
what  it  is.  Every  facility  is  offered  their  customers  which  they  can 
possibly  carry  out,  such  as  free  delivery  in  Paris,  and  the  same  out- 
side of  the  city  on  purchases  amounting  to  a  certain  sum.  They  are 
alive  in  advertising,  and  have  a  department  for  this  purpose,  and 
issue  catalogues,  etc.,  which  they  distribute  all  over  the  country.  In 
order  to  contribute  to  the  development,  taste  and  beauty  of  their 
models  the  house  usually  offers  prizes,  to  which  are  invited  master 
workmen  and  manufacturers  who  are  interested  in  art  as  applied  to 
industry. 

For  their  employes  the  directors  of  the  Louvre  take  special  care. 
They  have  for  their  benefit  a  mutual  aid  society,  a  department  of 
beneficence,  a  department  of  medical  assistance,  not  only  for  their 
aid  while  active,  but  for  those  who  through  overwork  need  a  rest  and 
sea  air  or  baths.  A  place  is  provided  for  the  latter  free  of  all 
expense.  In  order  to  bring  their  large  family  together  as  much  as 
possible  (and  it  is  policy  to  do  this,  as  over  3000  people  are  employed 
in  this  vast  establishment)  they  have  two  lodging  houses,  one  for  men 
and  the  other  for  women,  where  they  are  given  free  lodging.  The 
Louvre  Magazine  is  closed  at  7  o'clock  every  evening,  so  as  to  allow 
their  help  the  advantages  of  some  time  to  themselves.  Everything  is 
done  to  encourage  the  study  of  foreign  languages,  for  the  store  is 
thronged  daily  with  people  from  all  countries.  A  school  has  been 
established  for  this  purpose,  and  every  year  a  purse  is  presented  to 
certain  ones,  to  enable  them  to  travel  abroad  and  learn  the  manners 
and  customs,  as  well  as  assist  them  in  the  language  of  the  people.  I 
met  one  gentleman  there  who  had  been  a  resident  of  Boston  for  over 
two  years,  employing  his  time  in  perfecting  himself  in  English. 

In  order  to  encourage  economy  a  department  of  current  accounts, 
or  banking  room,  has  been  opened,  where  deposits  are  received  up  to 
5000  francs  (f  1000),  on  which  interest  at  the  rate  of  four  per  cent  is 
paid.  In  order  to  recompense  in  a  measure  for  long  service,  gold 


1 90  MY  FRIEND,  THE  CAPTAIN; 

medals  are  given  annually  to  all  who  have  served  twenty-five  years 
with  the  house,  and  if  any  of  the  help  is  called  out  for  military  duty 
they  are  reinstated  on  their  return. 

While  being  conducted  through  the  Louvre  Magazine,  I  was  taken 
to  the  dining  rooms  and  kitchens  on  the  top  floor.  Here  over  three 
thousand  people  are  fed  daily.  A  nominal  charge  of  150  centimes, 
or  thirty  cents  United  States  currency,  is  made  to  cover  the  bare  cost 
of  the  food.  For  this  they  receive  two  meals  per  day,  breakfast  and 
dinner,  and  good  meals  they  are,  including  a  bottle  of  wine  at  each. 
The  kitchen  was  as  large  as  that  of  the  greatest  hotel  in  the  land. 

Let  me  commend  the  methods  of  this  great  establishment  to  our 
American  merchants,  and  let  me  say  :  "Try  and  do  likewise."  If 
you  ever  visit  Paris  give  this  great  establishment  a  call.  You  will  be 
welcomed,  and  see  a  sight  worth  going  many  miles  to  see. 

One  evening  the  Captain  came  rushing  into  the  reading  room  of 
our  hotel  at  Paris  and  taking  hold  of  the  lapel  of  my  coat,  urged  me 
to  follow  him. 

"  What's  up.  Captain  ?  "  I  asked 

"Come  here,"  he  said,  "  come  here.  A  fellow  has  insulted  me, 
and  I  propose  to  lick  him." 

"  What  is  the  trouble,  Captain  ?  " 

"  It's  just  this,"  he  replied,  "  I  was  out  riding,  and  when  I  came 
in  the  driver  called  me  a  sow." 

"  Called  you  what?  "  I  answered. 

"  A  sow,  did  you  ever  hear  of  such  impudence?  " 

And  the  Captain,  who  was  rather  stout,  actually  unbuttoned  his 
col'ar  to  give  him  easy  use  of  his  neck. 

I  thought  there  must  be  some  mistake,  so  I  prevailed  upon  my 
friend  to  remain  where  he  was  until  I  investigated  the  matter.  I 
found  the  hackman  still  in  front  of  the  hotel,  and  when  I  talked  with 
him  I  learned  he  had  asked  the  Captain  for  a  few  sous  (a  sou  is  one 
cent).  I  gave  the  man  what  he  asked  for  and,  returning  to  the 
Captain,  explained  his  mistake.  He  declared  he  was  sick  and  tired 
of  a  country  that  made  such  use  of  the  English  language. 


OR,    TWO   YANKEES   IN    EUROPE.  19* 


CHAPTER  XIV, 
Last  Days  in  the  Gay  French  Capital. 

©NE  beautiful  morning,  as  I  came  down  from  my  room  in  my 
hotel  at  Paris,  I  was  met  by  the  Captain,  who  greeted  me  with 
his  usual  smile  and  turning  to  me,  remarked, 
"Bon  marche,  monsieur.'1'' 

I  stopped  for  a  moment  and  looked  at  the  Captain,  wondering 
what  he  meant,  for  Bon  marche  in  French  means  cheap,  or  low 
priced,  but  I  thought  I  would  flatter  him  a  little  and  turning  to  him, 
I  remarked  : 

"  You  are  improving  in  your  French,  Captain." 

"  Yes, "  was  his  reply.  "  I  have  been  in  Paris  now  nearly  two 
weeks,  and  I  think  if  I  should  stay  here  two  weeks  longer,  /  would 
make  a  good  Parasite." 

Later  on,  I  learned  that  the  Captain  intended  to  say  to  me, — "Bon 
matin,  monsieur,"  meaning,  "  Good  morning,  sir." 

It  is  a  pity  that  man's  life  is  not  spared  to  a  greater  number  of 
years  to  enjoy  the  workings  of  a  great  enterprise  that  he  has  estab- 
lished. Yet  the  great  Giver  of  all  things  has  decided  otherwise. 
While  I  was  in  Paris  I  could  not  help  sauntering,  or  rather  taking  a 
cab  drive,  over  to  that  great,  yes,  that  marvelous  store,  the  Bon 
March6.  Everyone  who  goes  to  Paris  visits  this  place.  Everyone 
who  does  not  go  there  must  have  heard  of  it.  Here,  gathered  to- 
gether under  one  roof,  is  the  most  interesting  store  in  the  world.  It 
is  a  department  house,  yet  it  is  not  a  grocery  establishment,  nor  a 
Cheap  John  affair.  It  is  a  place  where  the  best,  as  well  as  the  cheaper 
grade  of  goods  can  be  found,  yet  the  aim  of  the  management  is  to 
dispose  of  these  at  the  very  lowest  cash  prices  that  they  can  possibly 
be  sold. 

In  1853  Aristide  Boucicaut  was  a  partner  in  a  druggist's  business 
in  Paris.  Of  this  house  up  to  1863  but  little  is  on  record.  However, 


192  MY  FRIEND,   THE  CAPTAIN  ; 

Monsieur  Boucicaut  had  in  the  meantime  secured  a  portion  of  this 
world's  goods,  so  that  in  the  last  named  year  he  purchased  the  inter- 
est of  his  partners  and  became  the  sole  proprietor  of  the  business. 
At  this  time  the  business  was  a  comparatively  small  one  ;  Monsieur 
Boucicaut  was  blessed  in  having  for  a  wife  an  energetic  lady,  whose 
sole  aim  was  that  of  her  husband  s  future  success,  and  it  was  partially 
through  her  efforts  that  this  great  establishment  is  what  it  is  at  the 
present  day.  One  of  the  first  things  Monsieur  Boucicaut  did  was  to 
study  carefully  the  interest  of  his  people  ;  he  sought  to  make  the 
lives  of  those  in  his  employ  happier  and  more  pleasant,  and  to  make 
them  feel  as  if  they  were  part  of  a  family  rather  than  servants.  This 
soon  attracted  the  attention  of  the  general  public,  and,  like  all  pa- 
triotic Frenchmen  and  French  women,  they  were  not  slow  in  show- 
ing their  appreciation  of  this  philanthropist,  and  he  began  to  receive 
his  reward  in  a  substantial  way. 

Six  years  alone  in  business  is  but  a  short  time  when  one  has  the 
many  cares  of  an  enterprise  that  each  year  shows  rapid  gains,  but  in 
that  time,  or  in  1869,  Monsieur  Boucicaut  found  he  must  have  a 
larger  store,  and  the  corner  stone  of  the  present  Bon  Marche"  building 
was  laid.  When  the  great  structure  was  completed  and  ready  for 
occupancy  it  seems  that  renewed  prosperity  came  to  Monsieur  Bouci- 
caut, for  the  business  increased  at  a  wonderful  rate. 

To  attempt  to  describe  the  floors  and  the  many  departments  of  the 
Bon  March6  would  be  impossible.  It  would  be  so  lengthy  that  it 
wTould  be  tiresome,  but  in  order  to  give  some  idea  of  the  magnitude  of 
this  establishment  the  illustrations  presented  on  other  pages  have 
been  prepared.  The  store  occupies  one  entire  square  or  block.  It  is 
located  on  the  left  bank  of  the  Seine,  beyond  the  Latin  quarter.  It  is 
easily  accessible  from  any  part  of  Paris  by  a  system  of  omnibuses, 
trams  and  cabs.  Go  there  when  you  will  and  you  will  always  find  a 
vast  crowd  of  purchasers. 

Monsieur  Boucicaut  not  only  showed  his  ability  as  a  business  man 
and  a  manager,  but  his  success  was  largely  due  to  the  spirit  of  enter- 
prise, the  honesty  of  purpose  and  the  way  he  conducted  his  affairs  and 
his  great  benevolences.  Therefore,  he  not  only  founded  a  great  and 
powerful  business,  but  a  great  humane  work,  a  social  institution.  He 
gathered  around  him  a  staff  of  competent  and  superior  employes. 
These  he  chose  with  care  and  made  them  understand  that  his  interests 


OR,   TWO  YANKEES  IN   EUROPE.  193 

were  their  interests.  One  of  the  first  things  he  did  was  to  provide  a 
Provident  Fund,  and  this  was  followed  by  Madame  Boucicaut  found- 
ing a  Retiring  Pension  Fund,  which  guaranteed  to  all  the  old  em- 
ployes of  the  house  ample  relief  when  they  reached  old  age,  and 
were  rendered  incapable  of  attending  to  business  demands. 

Upon  the  death  of  Monsieur  Boucicaut  some  years  ago,  his  wife 
arranged  so  as  to  allow  the  most  competent  employes  to  purchase 
stock  in  the  concern  and  thus  become  financially  interested.  The 
moral  and  intellectual  condition  of  the  army  of  people  employed  here 
has  been  carefully  looked  after.  Free  evening  classes  for  the  study 
of  English,  vocal  and  instrumental  music,  and  fencing  were  formed 
and  largely  attended.  Each  year  those  who  show  the  most  rapid  de- 
velopment of  English  are  sent  to  London  for  a  period  of  six  months 
to  study  up  this  branch,  and  all  expenses  are  paid  by  the  house.  The 
Bon  Marche  has  interpreters  for  all  languages,  rendered  necessary 
on  account  of  the  large  number  of  foreigners  who  visit  the  store  while 
in  Paris.  A  picture  and  sculpture  gallery  is  a  feature  of  the  place, 
where  artists  are  allowed  to  display  their  works  and  find  possible  cus- 
tomers. Only  originals  are  received,  copies  not  being  allowed  in  the 
gallery.  In  case  a  visitor  finds  a  picture  he  or  she  may  like,  and  an 
offer  is  made  for  the  same,  this  is  submitted  to  the  artist,  and  if  ac- 
cepted the  sale  is  made,  and  the  entire  amount  paid  over  to  the  artist, 
as  no  charge  or  commission  is  taken  by  the  establishment. 

To  show  the  benevolent  workings  of  the  Bon  Marche"  I  give  some 
idea  of  the  magnitude  of  the  same.  The  Boucicaut  Provident  Fund, 
established  in  1876,  is  supported  by  means  of  a  sum  deducted 
annually  from  the  profits  of  the  business,  and  may  be  summed  up  as 
follows :  In  1876  there  was  in  this  fund  62,020  francs,  or  about  $12,500. 
In  1886  there  was  1,009,130  francs,  or  about  $200,000,  and  in  1897 
there  is  about  2,500,000  francs  or  about  $500,00  \  All  help  employed 
by  the  house  for  five  years  become  participators  in  its  benefit.  Each 
participant  has  an  individual  account  opened  in  his  or  her  name  and 
is  provided  with  a  book  indicating  exactly  the  amount  lying  to  his 
credit.  This  account  is  annually  increased  by  interest  at  the  rate  of 
four  per  cent  per  annum.  The  right  of  obtaining  the  capital  to  their 
credit  is  as  follows  :  By  all  lady  assistants  who  have  served  fifteen 
years  in  the  employ  of  the  firm,  or  who  reach  the  age  of  forty-five 
years  ;  by  all  men  whp  have  been  in  the  employ  of  the  house  for 


•s 

"5 

CQ 


OR,    TWO   YANKEES   IN    EUROPE.  195 

twenty  years,  or  reached  the  age  of  fifty  years.  In  case  of  death,  all 
accounts  standing  to  the  credit  of  those  interested  are  transferred  or 
paid  to  husband  or  wife,  or  children,  or  direct  legal  heirs,  irrespec- 
tive of  time,  age  or  service.  In  addition  to  the  amount  of  capital  of 
this  fund  in  1897  there  has  already  been  paid  out  1,000,000  francs,  or 
$200,000. 

The  Employes'  Pension  Fund,  created  by  Madame  Boucicaut  in 
1886,  started  with  a  fund  of  5,000,000  francs,  or  $1,000,000,  given  by 
Madame  Boucicaut  from  her  personal  fortune.  This  capital  now 
amounts  to  nearly  7,000,000  francs,  or  $1,400,000  and  130  people  who 
have  formerly  been  in  the  employ  of  the  house,  have  retired  and  are 
receiving  pensions  amounting  in  all  to  110,000  francs  per  year,  or 
about  $22,000.  All  employes  in  the  Bon  Marche  who  have  served  it 
for  twenty  years,  or  men  who  reach  fifty  years,  and  women  who 
reach  forty-five  years,  are  entitled  to  receive  benefit  from  this  fund. 
It  is  a  life  pension,  and  varies  from  600  francs  ($120)  to  1500  francs 
($300)  per  year. 

Employes  who  are  obliged  to  leave  the  house  for  military  duty  are 
reinstated  when  their  time  expires.  They  are  obliged  to  give  notice 
of  their  desire  to  return  and  present  an  irreproachable  military  certifi- 
cate. If  summoned  out  by  the  government  for  a  month  or  less  duty, 
they  are  allowed  two  francs  (40  cents)  per  day  and  i  franc  (20  cents) 
per  day  for  each  of  their  children  during  the  short  time  they  are  out. 
A  doctor  is  engaged  by  the  house  for  the  help  and  free  service  given. 

Both  Monsieur  and  Madame  Boucicaut  have  gone  to  their  reward, 
and  their  successors  show  by  their  works  that  they  have  at  heart  the 
great  principles  left  them  by  the  founders  of  Bon  Marche.  In  addi- 
tion to  the  benefits  already  described,  they  started  in  1892  a  second 
pension  and  benefit  fund,  to  be  devoted  exclusively  to  the  workpeople 
engaged  in  the  workrooms  of  the  Bon  Marche",  and  happiness  and 
prosperity  has  attended  them  in  their  efforts  to  make  those  around 
them  believe  that  life  is  worth  living. 

A  French  gentleman  was  explaining  to  the  Captain  the  Franco- 
Russian  alliance,  and  was  quite  enthusiastic  about  the  combination 
made  by  the  two  countries.  ''  The  flags  of  these  two  countries, "  he  re- 
marked, "are  as  near  one  as  ever  such  an  arrangement  was  known  in 
all  Europe,  and  we  can  stand  or  fall  together." 

The  Captain  paused  for  a  moment,  I  knew  something  was  coming, 
but  it  came  quicker  than  I  thought,  when  he  replied  : 


196  MY  FRIEND,  THE  CAPTAIN; 

"Yes,  I  suppose  you  feel  secure,  but  we  own  a  flag  on  the  other 
side  of  the  great  Atlantic  that  stands — or  flies — alone.  The  Stars  and 
Stripes  can  look  out  for  itself,  and  needs  no  alliance." 

It  is  amusing  to  hear  the  cry  that  goes  up  from  the  American  tour- 
ists about  the  effect  of  the  new  tariff  bill  on  their  personal  baggage. 
The  trouble  is  mostly  with  the  feminine  portion.  And  I  have  thought 
to  myself,  "  What  fools  these  mortals  be."  I  was  talking  with  one 
gentleman  who  appeared  delighted  at  the  good  news  he  had  heard 
from  his  beloved  home  across  the  sea.  Business  promised  well.  It 
had  not  promised  so  well  for  nearly  five  years.  He  was  a  man  of 
means,  and  owned  a  considerable  amount  in  stocks.  These  had  ad- 
vanced in  value,  and  I  judged  from  what  I  gathered  from  the  conver- 
sation that,  taking  all  things  together,  this  man  would  be  better  off 
by  four  or  five  thousand  dollars  before  the  new  year  came  in.  That 
same  afternoon  I  met  his  wife.  She  was  raging  mad,  she  almost 
swore.  I  believe  if  she  had  had  the  present  administration  at  her 
mercy  in  Paris  she  would  have  annihilated  the  whole  lot,  and  all  this 
because  she  had  bought  seven  or  eight  hundred  dollars'  worth  of 
goods,  and  would  have  to  pay  duty  on  all  but  one  hundred  dollars. 
I  judge  she  would  be  taxed  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  dollars. 
When  I  compared  the  report  given  me  by  her  husband  and  her  own 
feelings,  I  thought  with  the  maker  of  the  remark,  "  Consistency  thou 
art  a  jewel."  This,  however,  is  only  a  sample.  People  who  earn 
their  money  in  the  United  States,  should  learn  to  spend  it  there.  If 
they  cannot  find  what  they  want  here,  and  prefer  to  go  abroad  and 
spend  their  cash,  let  them  pay  for  it. 

One  with  plenty  of  leisure  time  on  his  hands  often  meets  with 
queer  experiences  over  here.  I  remember  coming  in  contact  with  a 
gentleman  and  his  wife  from  Philadelphia.  I  am  of  the  opinion  they 
were  people  well-to-do.  They  told  me  they  paid  eight  hundred  dol- 
lars each  for  their  expenses  for  a  three  months'  tour  over  here.  That 
was  sixteen  hundred  dollars  for  the  pair.  They  brought  with  them 
fifteen  hundred  dollars  to  spend,  and  the  moment  they  landed  in  a 
town  they  would  make  a  bee  line  for  the  stores.  The  sacred  attrac- 
tions were  neglected  ;  art  galleries,  great  cathedrals  and  the  wonders 
of  nature  were  "  not  in  it."  They  had  no  attraction  for  this  pair.  It 
was  the  shops,  the  shop  windows  and  the  displays  they  made.  And 
this  man  delighted  in  telling  me  that  he  never  paid  the  prices  asked 
him,  but  always  beat  the  storekeepers  down.  I  don't  know  as  I  can 


OR,  TWO  YANKEES  IN  EUROPE.  197 

blame  him  much  for  that,  as  the  shopkeepers  of  Europe  have  learned 
to  charge  as  high  a  price  as  possible,  and — take  what  they  can  get. 
The  smart  shopper  has  found  it  to  be  so. 

I  was  passing  along  one  of  the  boulevards  with  the  Captain,  when 
his  attention  was  attracted  by  a  large  sign  over  a  store  that  read, 
'  Confections  pour  Dames.'" 

"  Come  in  here  a  moment  with  me,"  said  the  Captain. 

We  entered  the  store,  and  as  the  atten  lant  came  forward  the  Cap- 
tain said,  "  Give  me  one  pound  of  your  best  chocolates." 

"  Comment,  monsieur,"  was  the  reply. 

Before  the  Captain  could  answer,  I  told  the  waiting  clerk  it  was  a 
mistake,  and  got  my  companion  outside. 

"  Why  did  you  go  in  there  and  ask  for  chocolate  creams?"  I  asked. 

"  Because  I  wanted  them,"  was  the  reply. 

"  But  why  did  you  go  in  such  a  store  as  this  ?  They  do  not  keep 
confectionery  here,  but  ladies'  made-up  garments,"  I  returned. 

"  Look  at  that  sign  over  the  door,"  said  the  Captain  "  '  Confec- 
tions for  Dames,''  isn't  that  plain  enough  ?  " 

And  when  I  told  the  Captain  that  '  confections  '  in  French  meant 
made-up  garments  for  ladies'  wear,  he  said  he  was  sick  of  a  country 
whose  early  education  had  been  so  sadly  neglected. 

One  of  the  greatest  nuisances  of  European  travel  is  the  gauntlet 
one  has  to  run  at  the  hotels,  depots  and  about  every  place  where  you 
are  at  the  mercy  of  others.  If  you  do  not  tip  these  people  they  are 
ready  to  go  for  you.  Here  is  a  sample  of  my  own  experience  at  a 
certain  place  where  I  was.  The  day  before  my  departure  I  notified 
the  office  of  my  intention  to  go,  and  ordered  my  bill  to  be  ready. 
When  I  boarded  my  train  I  made  a  memorandum  of  what  I  was 
obliged  to  pay  in  tips,  and  here  is  a  copy  of  it  : 

Head  waiter  at  hotel, $1.00 

Two  waiters  each  $2 4.00 

Chambermaid 50 

Chambermaid  assistant 50 

Two  elevator  men,  each  25C .50 

Porter, i.oo 

Bootblack 75 

Two  office  boys,  each  500 i.oo 

Bell  boy, 25 

Door-keeper, 50 

Two  porters  for  handling  baggage,  250 .50 

«  Cab  driver,        10 

Three  depot  porters,  each  loc  .     . 30 

Total $10.90 


OR,   TWO  YANKEES  IN   EUROPE.  199 

The  Captain  got  interested  in  a  duel  between  Prince  Henri  d'Or- 
leans  and  the  Count  of  Turin. 

"  What's  all  this  racket  about?  "  he  asked. 

When  I  told  him  that  the  Count  considered  the  Prince  had  in- 
sulted the  Italian  soldiers  by  claiming  that  they  were  cowards,  the 
Captain  replied  : 

' '  Do  you  know  what  I  would  do  with  these  two  fellows  if  I  had  my 
way  ?  I  would  give  them  six  months  each  for  being  drunk  and  dis- 
orderly, or  send  both  to  the  insane  asylum  for  their  natural  lives." 

The  Captain  meant  it. 

About  the  dullest  and  toughest  customer  I  ever  had  a  tussle  with 
was  a  Paris  policeman.  As  the  boy  said,  "  They  don't  know  beans  " 
Ask  one  a  question  and  ten  to  one  you  cannot  get  a  reply.  If  you  do 
you  know  about  as  much  after  they  tell  you  as  you  did  before.  They 
are  a  stupid  set,  decidedly  so.  Not  because  I  could  not  understand 
their  French  or  they  understand  mine,  but  because  they  were  not  an 
accommodating  set.  Far  different  from  the  London  "  bobby,  "  who 
will  walk  a  block  with  you  to  give  you  the  information  you  want — 
with,  of  course,  the  prospect  of  a  tip. 

Paris  was  full  of  American  songs  and  American  airs.  The  bands 
played  them,  the  hurdy-gurdy s  played  them,  and  they  sang  them  in 
concert  saloons.  It  seemed  to  me  as  if  America  had  been  moved  over 
here  for  a  while. 

I  have  often  heard  arguments  about  the  cost  of  living  in  Paris — I 
am  not  speaking  of  hotel,  but  private  life.  Some  were  of  the  opinion 
one  could  live  cheaper  here,  while  others  thought  it  was  more  expen- 
sive. It  is  decidedly  the  latter.  One  can  live  cheaply  here,  if  he  or 
she  elects.  For  instance,  a  room  can  be  secured  for  four  or  five  francs 
per  week,  breakfast  at  one  franc,  lunch  at  one  and  a  half  francs  and 
dinner  at  two  to  three  francs,  making  a  total  cost  of  room  and  three 
meals  per  day  from  $i  to  $1.25.  Mind  you,  this  is  the  cheapest  way  a 
person  of  limited  means  could  live,  unless  he  went  down  to  the  slum 
methods.  But  what  can  you  do  at  home  ?  Say  Boston,  for  instance. 
Room,  $[  per  week,  board  of  three  square  meals  at  restaurant  or  din- 
ing rooms,  $3.50  per  week,  total,  $4.50  per  week,  or  twenty-five  per 
cent  cheaper  than  in  Paris,  and  a  far  better  table.  When  one  goes  to 
the  better  class  of  houses  and  better  class  of  cafe's,  the  cost  is  far 
ahead  of  that  here  in  our  own  country.  In  buying  there  are  certain 


200  MY   FRIEND,    THE  CAPTAIN  ; 

things  favorable  to  both  sides  ;  for  instance,  kid  gloves,  silks,  laces 
and  clothing  are  cheaper  here  than  in  the  United  States,  but  there  are 
enough  things  to  offset  these  that  are  cheaper  in  our  own  land  to 
make  the  balance  in  our  favor.  A  French  lady,  born  in  Paris,  told 
me  that  after  a  residence  of  a  few  years  in  Boston  she  was  fully  con- 
vinced that  she  could  take  one  hundred  dollars  and  buy  more  for  it 
in  Boston  or  New  York  than  she  could  in  Paris.  Of  course,  she  re- 
ferred to  women's  necessities  in  dress. 

I  was  invited  to  inspect  a  sensation  in  Paris  known  as  the  Caf£  de 
la  Morte,  or  the  Caf6  of  Death.  I  was  ushered  into  a  room  with  rows 
of  coffins  on  each  side  which  served  as  tables  and  where  refreshments 
were  served.  Here  a  series  of  pictures  were  hung  on  the  walls,  and 
shown  by  electric  lights,  changing  from  life  to  death  scenes.  Skulls 
and  crossbones  covered  the  place.  Lighted  tapers  were  given  each 
person  and  a  walk  was  taken  to  a  hall  where  an  exhibition  of  turning 
a  live  man  into  a  skeleton  in  his  own  coffin  was  given,  this  was  fol- 
lowed by  an  exhibition  of  ghosts  in  another  hall,  and  we  were  told  to 
"sortie." 

Such  is  only  a  mild  sample  of  life  in  the  Parisian  capital. 

The  Captain  wanted  to  buy  a  pair  of  opera  glasses,  and  was  ex- 
amining a  certain  pair  in  a  store,  and  asked  the  price. 

"Fifty  francs,  monsieur,"  was  the  reply. 

"How  much?"  asked  the  Captain. 

"  Fifty  francs,  monsieur,"  came  the  answer. 

"  I  won't  pay  it,"  was  the  reply.  "  I'll  tell  you  what  I'll  do.  I'll 
give  you  just  ten  dollars  for  them,"  remarked  the  Captain. 

"  Well,  monsieur,"  answered  the  storekeeper.  "  I  can't  afford  it, 
but  you  may  take  them." 

When  we  got  outside  and  I  told  the  Captain  that  fifty  francs  was 
just  ten  dollars,  he  wanted  me  to  go  back  with  him  while  he  offered 
the  man  five  dollars.  But  it  was  too  late  ;  he  had  bought  and  paid 
for  them,  and  I  settled  the  matter  satisfactorily  by  paying  for  the 
cigars. 


OR,   TWO  YANKEES  IN   EUROPE.  2OI 


CHAPTER   XV. 
Cambridge  and   Oxford. 

TV    yr  Y  ENDEAVORS    to  teach   the   Captain  French  were  not 
|\/|        particularly  successful,  but  once  in  a  while  he  remembered 
@/   Y  A.       what  I  told  him.     One  day  he  asked  me  what  the  French 
called  England,  and  I  told  him  Angleterre.     When  we 
crossed  the  Channel  it  was  terribly  rough  and  the  Captain  was  one  of 
the  sickest  of  the  entire  ship's  company.     As  we  stepped  off  the  gang- 
plank, I  asked  : 

"  Captain,  aren't  you  glad  to  get  on  terra  firma  again  ?  " 
The  Captain  looked  at  me  for  a  moment,  and  then  said  : 
"  I/ook  here,  quit  fooling  with  me.     When  I  asked  you  what  these 
Frenchmen  called   England   you  said  Angleterre,  now  you  call  it 
Terra  Firma.     I  may  not  know  as  much  as  you  do,  but  I  know  terra 
firma  is  the  stuff  they  adulterate  candj-  with." 
I  gave  it  up. 

I  think,  without  exception,  the  most  beautiful  place  I  visited  in 
England  was  Cambridge.  Cambridge  can  be  reached  from  London 
by  express  train  in  about  one  hour  and  forty  minutes.  The  town  is 
an  old  one,  dating  back  beyond  the  Romans,  and  after  the  departure 
of  these  people,  the  Danes  pillaged  and  burned  the  town  in  870,  and 
again  in  1010.  Of  the  subsequent  history  of  Cambridge  up  to  the 
time  of  the  Norman  Conquest,  very  little  is  known.  William  the 
Conqueror,  having  taken  possession  of  it,  founded  the  castle  in  1068 
and  from  it  conducted  ,his  military  operations  against  the  Saxon  pre- 
lates and  nobles,  who,  with  Hereward  and  his  army,  long  held  their 
camp  of  refuge  at  Ely.  So  obstinate  was  the  resistance  that  in  1069 
the  king  was  obliged  to  come  in  person  to  Cambridge  Castle,  with  a 
powerful  army,  in  order  to  reduce  these  insurgents.  In  1088  the 
town  and  county  were  laid  waste  with  fire  and  sword  by  Roger  de 
Montgomery,  Earl  of  Shrewsbury,  who  was  in  arms  in  support  of 
Robert  Curthose,  Duke  of  Normandy,  the  elder  son  of  the  Conqueror. 


-6 

c 


G 
U 


OQ 


CJ 


OR,  TWO  YANKEES  IN  EUROPE.  203 

The  town  remained  in  the  king's  hands  until  the  time  of  Henry  L, 
the  sheriffs  of  the  county  rendering  the  annual  profits  to  the  town's 
exchequer.  But  that  prince  granted  to  the  burgesses  the  liberty  to 
hold  their  town  at  farm,  they  paying  to  him  the  same  sum  as  the 
sheriff  of  the  county  had  been  accustomed  to  render.  Henry  I., 
having  been  educated  here,  had  a  partiality  for  the  place  and  in  grati- 
tude endowed  readers  of  several  languages  theiein.  Besides,  he 
ordered  in  mSthat  "no  vessel  should  unlade  or  pay  toll  for  its  goods 
any  where  but  in  Cambridge."  Fires,  pestilence  and  frequent  civil 
discord  followed  these  events.  The  towns  suffered  from  plunder,  dis- 
putes and  anarchy  during  the  reign  of  the  Plantaganet  kings.  In 
1267,  King  Henry  III.,  commenced  to  fortify  the  town  to  protect  it 
against  the  rebellious  barons.  He  caused  a  ditch  to  be  made,  sur- 
rounding it  on  those  sides  where  it  was  not  protected  by  the  river. 
He  partially  built  a  wall,  which  was  soon  destroyed  by  the  insurgents. 
He  also  erected  two  gates,  all  trace  of  which  has  since  disappeared, 
but  the  ditch  remains  and  it  is  still  called  the  King's  Ditch,  although 
all  but  a  small  portion  is  covered  over. 

In  1381  a  serious  tumult  rose  between  the  townsmen  and  the  Uni- 
versity. The  townsmen  assembled  at  their  hall  and  having  chosen  and 
obliged  James  de  Grantcestre  to  act  as  their  leader,  they  committed 
the  most  flagrant  acts  of  violence.  They  broke  open  the  doors  of  the 
Corpus  Christi  College,  carried  away  the  charters,  jewels  and  other 
goods  belonging  to  that  .institution.  They  obliged  several  of  the 
masters  to  renounce,  under  pain  of  death  and  destruction  of  their 
dwellings,  all  the  privileges  that  had  ever  been  granted  them.  After 
this,  they  broke  open  the  University  chest  in  St.  Mary's  church  and 
taking  out  all  the  records  burned  them,  with  the  other  papers,  in  the 
market  place.  Many  other  acts  of  violence  accompanied  these  pro- 
ceedings and  the  misguided  crowd,  to  insure  its  own  safety,  forced 
certain  of  the  principal  members  of  the  University  to  sign  a  bond 
which  vested  its  entire  future  government  in  the  burgesses  of  the 
town.  Soon  after,  however,  this  usurped  power  was  wrested  from 
their  hands  by  Henry  le  Spencer,  Bishop  of  Norwich.  Several  of  the 
principal  leaders  were  imprisoned  during  life  ;  the  mayor  was  de- 
prived of  his  office,  and  the  liberties  granted  by  King  John  and 
Henry  III.  were  declared  forfeited  and  part  of  them  bestowed  on  the 
chancellor  of  the  University. 


204  MY   FRIEND,   THE   CAPTAIN; 

In  1574  the  town  was  visited  by  the  plague.  In  1643,  Cromwell, 
who  had  twice  represented  the  town,  took  possession  of  it  for  the 
Parliament  and  put  in  a  garrison  of  1000  men. 

Many  other  interesting  events  took  place,  but  from  the  restora- 
tion of  the  Stuarts  to  the  present  time  there  is  scarcely  anything  to 
record  concerning  the  history  of  Cambridge  likely  to  interest  the 
visitor. 

The  Captain  was  enjoying  a  smoke  one  evening,  and  had  for  a 
companion  an  English  gentleman  who  had  devoted  many  years  to 
travel.  In  the  course  of  the  conversation,  the  Englishman  was 
describing  a  trip  up  the  Rhine. 

' '  I  suppose, ' '  he  remarked,  ' '  that  you  Americans  were  delighted 
with  the  Rhine?" 

"  Yes,"  answered  the  Captain,  "  we  are,  but  we  do  not  call  it  by 
that  name." 

"You  do  not,"  replied  the  Captain's  friend  ;  "  what  do  you  call 
it?" 

"  We  know  it  as  the  Danube  river,"  answered  the  Captain,  as  he 
endeavored  to  toss  the  ashes  from  his  cigar,  but  in  doing  so  they 
covered  the  dark  trousers  of  his  companion. 

The  origin  and  progress  of  the  University  would  make  a  history 
in  itself,  and  is  said  to  have  dated  back  as  far  as  the  seventh  century, 
but  it  was  towards  the  close  of  the  thirteenth  century,  or  in  1284, 
that  the  first  institution  at  all  answering  to  the  present  college  foun- 
dation was  erected.  In  that  year,  Hugh  de  Balshan,  Bishop  of  Ely, 
purchased  two  hostels,  near  St.  Mary's  church,  now  called  St.  Mary's 
the  Less,  and  placed  scholars  in  them  whom  he  endowed  with  certain 
possessions,  thus  making  what  is  known  as  Peter's,  or  St.  Peter's  Col- 
lege. This  plan  seems  to  have  been  adopted  in  subsequent  founda- 
tions. For  the  next  400  or  500  years  the  University  went  on  increasing 
in  wealth  and  magnificence,  royal  visits  were  frequently  paid  to  it,  and 
kings  became  its  fathers  and  queens  its  nursing  mothers.  Special 
charters  were  granted  to  it,  the  earliest  dating  from  the  reign  of 
Henry  III.  and  many  important  privileges  were  conceded  to  it  by 
succeeding  monarchs,  especially  Edward  III. 

In  1614  James  I.  conferred  upon  the  University  the  privilege  of 
sending  two  members  to  Parliament,  the  right  of  election  being 
vested  in  the  members  of  the  Senate. 


OR,    TWO   YANKEES  IN    EUROPE.  2O5 

The  colleges  are  Seventeen  in  number,  to  which  have  lately  been 
added  two  hostels,  one  theological  college,  and  two  colleges  for 
women,  all  independent  and  incorporate  bodies  ;  in  fact,  each  college 
is  an  independent  corporation,  but  all  are  subject  to  the  paramount 
laws  of  the  University,  in  the  administration  of  which  they  all  bear  a 
share.  The  principal  officer  is  the  chancellor,  whose  power,  however, 
is  merely  nominal  and  is  delegated  to  a  vice-chancellor.  An  annual 
election  is  held  for  the  office  of  vice-chancellor,  who  is  chosen  from 
among  the  heads  of  the  colleges.  During  his  year  of  office  he  has  the 
government  of  this  literary  commonwealth. 

The  public  orator  is  another  important  officer.  He  acts  as  the 
mouthpiece  of  the  Senate  on  all  public  occasions.  Each  college  has 
its  own  master,  or  head  ;  several  fellows,  who  are  maintained  by  the 
revenues  of  the  foundation  ;  scholars,  who  are  students  of  superior 
attainments,  elected  by  examination,  who  receive  payments  in  money 
and  other  advantages  ;  pensioners,  or  ordinary  students,  who  pay 
their  own  expenses  and  derive  no  pecuniary  advantage  from  the  col- 
leges, and  sizars,  who,  being  students  of  limited  means,  have  both  the 
University  and  college  fees  greatly  reduced  to  them  and  receive 
various  emoluments. 

Most  of  the  colleges  lie  on  the  right  side  of  the  river  and  are  old 
structures  with  courtyards,  cloisters,  beautiful  grass  plots,  with  flower 
beds,  etc.,  that  are  enchanting  to  the  visitor.  In  the  rear,  across  the 
river,  is  a  magnificent  wood  with  many  shade  trees  and  pathways. 
This  is  all  kept  up  in  excellent  taste,  the  grass  being  green  and  well 
preserved  and  the  road  beds  in  perfect  order  ;  in  fact,  it  almost  makes 
one  feel  like  going  through  fairyland.  It  is  my  purpose  merely  to 
mention  a  few  of  the  colleges  that  I  visited  while  there. 

One  day  the  Captain  intended  to  visit  a  nearby  town,  and  while 
taking  a  hurried  lunch  asked  the  waiter  if  he  would  make  all  possible 
speed,  as  he  did  not  want  to  miss  his  train. 

"  We  always  accommodate  our  guests,"  was  the  reply,  "  and  I  am 
certain  the  railway  will  do  likewise." 

The  Captain  looked  up  to  me  and  said:  "There  is  civility  for 
you.  "Where  would  you  find  that  in  America?"  And  he  gave  his 
attendant  a  five  shilling  piece  in  mistake  for  a  shilling. 

Whether  we  regard  the  number  of  its  members,  the  extent  of  its 
buildings,  or  the  long  roll  of  illustrious  men  who  have  been  educated 


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OR,   TWO  YANKEES  IN   EUROPE.  2O7 

within  its  walls,  Trinity  College  is  the  noblest  collegiate  foundation 
in  the  Kingdom  of  Great  Britain.  Christ's  Church  College  is  a 
larger  one  in  extent  of  buildings,  but  falls  considerably  short  of 
Trinity  in  standing. 

Trinity  College  was  formed  by  the  consolidation  and  extension  of 
several  earlier  foundations,  dating  back  to  that  of  the  Michael  House, 
founded  in  1324,  and  several  others  of  equal  note.  The  entrance  or 
gateway  is  worthy  of  special  notice,  and  is  one  of  the  finest  of  its 
kind,  and  is  known  as  the  King's  Gateway.  It  was  built  in  the  reign 
of  Edward  IV.  The  truth  of  this  is  proved  by  the  fact  that  the  royal 
arms  on  the  outer  front  are  supported  by  two  lions,  no  other  monarch 
having  used  these  supporters.  At  the  same  time  this  gate  was  evi- 
dently intended  for  Edward  III.  for  it  is  surrounded  by  the  garter  and 
the  arms  of  France.  On  either  side  of  the  king's  arms,  under  rich 
canopies,  are  those  of  the  sons  of  Edward  III.,  a  blank  shield  being 
left  for  his  second  son,  William  of  Hatfield,  who  died  in  infancy. 

In  a  large  niche  between  the  windows  is  a  statue  of  Henry  VIII. 
On  the  inner  side  of  the  tower  are  statues  of  King  James  I.,  Anne  of 
Denmark,  his  queen,  and  their  eldest  son,  Henry,  Prince  of  Wales. 
The  roof  beneath  the  gateway  is  modern,  and  is  a  handsome  and  in- 
genious example  of  wooden  vaulting.  It  is  ornamented  with  shields 
bearing  the  arms  of  all  the  masters  of  the  college.  Sir  Isaac  Newton 
stayed  here,  and  his  rooms  were  on  the  north  side  of  this  gateway, 
over  the  porter's  lodge. 

The  college  consists  of  five  courts  and  the  building  is  called  Bish- 
op's Hostel.  These  courts  are  known  as  the  Old.  or  Great  Court, 
Neville's,  or  Cloister  Court,  King's,  or  the  New  Court,  and  two  courts 
on  the  opposite  side  of  the  street,  to  the  east  of  the  entrance  gateway, 
called  the  Whewell  Courts.  It  would  be  impossible  to  enter  into  a 
description  of  these  beautiful  open  spaces.  They  must  certainly  be 
seen  to  be  appreciated. 

The  chapel,  which  has  lately  undergone  very  extensive  alterations 
and  improvements,  was  planned  by  Henry  VIII.  It  was  commenced 
in  1556  by  his  daughter  Mary,  and  completed  by  Elizabeth  in  or  about 
1564.  It  is  a  spacious  edifice  of  the  plain  perpendicular-gothic  style. 
Internally  it  is  204  feet  in  length,  34  in  breadth  and  44  in  height. 
At  the  west  end  is  a  fine  statue  of  Sir  Isaac  Newton,  which  was  pre- 
sented to  the  college  in  1755,  and  is  considered  one  of  the  finest  mod- 


King's  Gateway,  Entrance  to  Trinity  College,  Cambridge,  England 


OR,   TWO  YANKEES  IN   EUROPE.  209 

ern  statues  in  England.  The  philosopher  is  represented  as  standing 
on  a  pedestal  in  a  Master  of  Arts  gown  with  a  prism  in  his  hand. 
This  statue  when  first  finished  had  the  mouth  closed.  A  friend 
pointed  this  out  to  the  sculptor  as  a  defect,  and  before  morning  he 
had  opened  the  mouth  and  made  it  what  it  is — simply  perfection. 

In  the  chapels  of  all  the  colleges  the  master  and  vice-master  have 
seats  on  either  side  of  the  entrance  to  the  choir  ;  fellows  are  seated  in 
seats  which  are  continuous  with  these  last,  while  the  scholars  and 
sizars  occupy  the  range  of  raised  seats  below  the  fellows.  The  rest 
of  the  students  find  their  places. on  benches  parallel  to  the  length  of 
the  chapel.  Each  college  has  a  lodge  with  a  porter,  who  is  only  too 
anxious  to  show  visitors  around  for  a  small  fee  of  sixpence  or  a 
shilling. 

Christ's  College  is  the  largest  in  Cambridge.  The  institution  of 
this  college  came  about  in  this  way  :  This  was  formerly  the  grammar 
college  of  God's  House,  and  was  originally  founded  and  endowed  on 
a  site  near  to  Clare  Hall,  by  William  Byngham,  rector  of  St.  John 
Zachary,  London,  about  1439.  At  the  special  request  of  Henry  VI. 
this  house  and  grounds  were  given  up  to  him  and  enlarged  for  the 
site  of  King's  College.  On  the  iSth  of  June,  1446,  the  king 
granted  Byngham  a  new  charter,  with  permission  t,o  build  another 
house  in  Preacher's  Ward.  This  house  could  not  have  been  con- 
sidered very  prosperous,  for  the  revenues  were  never  sufficient  for  the 
maintenance  of  more  persons  than  a  proctor  or  master  and  four 
scholars.  On  the  ist  of  May,  1505,  the  Lady  Margaret  obtained  a 
license  from  her  son,  Henry  VIII.,  to  change  its  name  to  Christ's  Col- 
lege, and  to  endow  it  for  a  master,  twelve  fellows,  and  forty-seven 
scholars. 

The  principal  entrance  is  by  a  low  tower  gateway,  built  entirely  of 
stone.  The  carved  work  is  very  rich  and  elaborate.  It  consists  of 
the  Lady  Margaret's  arms,  supporters  and  badges,  crowned  roses  and 
portcullises,  and  numerous  groups  of  daisies  and  marguerites.  Through 
this  gateway  we  are  conducted  into  the  first  court,  which  contains  the 
chapel,  master's  lodge,  the  hall,  which  was  rebuilt  a  few  years  ago, 
and,  on  the  west  side,  the  library,  next  to  the  entrance  gateway.  At 
the  southeast  corner  is  the  entrance  to  the  second  or  Tree  Court. 
The  range  of  buildings  on  the  right  was  erected  in  1822,  while  on  the 
east  there  is  a  handsome  edifice  of  stone,  built  in  1642,  extending  the 
length  of  150  feet. 


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OR,  TWO  YANKEES  IN  EUROPE.  211 

The  chapel  which  is  handsome  and  well-proportioned,  is  fifty- 
seven  feet  long  by  twenty-seven  feet  broad.  It  was  finished  about 
the  end  of  1511,  but  retains  few  of  its  original  features,  as  very  expen- 
sive alterations  were  carried  out  in  1701  and  1702.  Over  the  altar  is  a 
painting  of  the  "Descent  from  the  Cross." 

There  is  a  library  which  contains  about  13,000  volumes,  among 
which  may  be  enumerated  the  earlier  editions  of  Milton's  "  Paradise 
Lost,  "a  copy  of  the  second  edition  of  Erasmus"  Greek  Testament, 
printed  on  vellum  at  Basle  in  1519. 

The  master's  lodge  is  small  in  comparison  with  those  of  other  col- 
leges. It  is  situated  between  the  hall  and  chapel  and  contains  a  fine 
portrait  of  Dr.  Covell. 

While  taking  a  stroll,  the  Captain,  as  was  his  custom,  stopped  one 
day  to  interview  a  native,  and  ask  him  certain  questions,  not  forget- 
ting to  let  him  know  that  he  was  an  American. 

"  I  would  like  to  go  to  your  country,"  remarked  the  native. 

"  Yes,"  replied  the  Captain,  "and  you  would  never  forget  it.  We 
have  the  greatest  country  on  earth." 

"  But  don't  the  insurrectionists  cause  you  trouble  ?"  was  the  reply. 

"The  insurrectionists  ;  what  do  you  mean  by  that?" 

"Why,  the  Indians  from  Massachusetts." 

The  Captain  could  not  reply.  He  first  gazed  on  the  native,  then 
at  me,  and  as  we  left  him  and  passed  on,  the  Captain  remarked: 

"  I  wonder  if  all  the  world  is  made  up  of  such  idiots  ?" 

St.  John's  College  is  a  fine  old  establishment,  the  front  entrance 
built  after  the  style  of  an  ancient  castle.  It  derives  its  name  from  the 
hospital  dedicated  to  St.  John  the  Evangelist.  It  is  said  to  have  been 
founded  as  early  as  1135,  by  Henry  Frost.  In  1505,  Lady  Margaret 
Beaufort,  Countess  of  Richmond  and  Derby,  and  mother  of  King 
Henry  VII.,  took  measures  for  converting  the  aforesaid  hospital  into 
a  college  for  secular  scholars.  Various  causes  having  prevented  this 
from  being  effected  during  her  lifetime,  she  had  it  added  as  a  codicil 
to  her  will,  empowering  the  executors  to  carry  out  her  design.  The 
countess  died  on  June  29,  1509,  and  on  Jan.  20,  1510,  the  hospital  was 
dissolved.  On  the  gth  of  April  following  her  executors  established 
on  the  site  thereof  the  present  college.  Entering  the  gateway,  we 
come  to  the  first  court,  and  at  the  right  corner  is  the  new  chapel 
belonging  to  this  college.  It  is  one  of  the  finest  churches  in  Cam- 


OR,   TWO  YANKEES  IN  EUROPE.  213 

bridge,  built  of  Ancaster  stone  and  in  the  style  of  architecture  which 
prevailed  about  1280,  commonly  called  "Early  Decorated."  The 
extreme  length  of  the  chapel  is  193  feet,  and  the  breadth  52  feet, 
while  the  ante-chapel  is  89  feet.  The  height  is  50  feet  to  the  top  of 
the  parapet,  and  to  the  ridge  of  the  roof,  80  feet.  There  are  some 
very  fine  wood  carvings  as  well  as  stained  glass  windows  in  this 
chapel,  that  must  be  seen  to  be  appreciated. 

In  1326  Clare  College  was  founded,  under  the  style  of  Clare  Hall. 
It  is  delightfully  situated  on  the  eastern  bank  of  the  Cam,  and  consists 
of  one  spacious  court,  which  is  entered  by  two  highly  ornamented 
porticos.  The  court  is  handsomely  built  throughout  with  stone  and 
presents  the  most  uniformly  finished  appearance  of  any  college  in  the 
University. 

One  of  the  most  imposing  buildings  in  Cambridge  is  the  Fitz- Wil- 
liams Museum.  The  University  is  indebted  to  the  munificence  of  one 
of  its  own  members,  Richard,  Viscount  Fitz-Williams,  M.  A.,  of 
Trinity  Hall,  who  died  Feb.  5,  1816,  and  bequeathed  to  the  University 
his  paintings,  drawings,  prints,  books  and  works  of  art,  together 
with  $500,000  in  South  Sea  stock,  the  dividends  of  which  were  to  be 
expended  in  the  erection  of  a  museum  for  the  reception  of  his  whole 
collection.  The  site  was  purchased  of  St.  Peter's  for  the  sum  of  about 
$50,000,  and  this  magnificent  building  was  erected.  It  was  commenced 
in  1837  and  completed  about  1848.  During  the  erection  of  the  build- 
ing, the  architect,  George  Basevi,  fell  from  a  scaffold  on  the  Ely 
Cathedral  and  was  killed.  It  is  estimated  the  cost  of  the  entire  prop- 
erty, as  it  now  stands,  is  about  $500,000.  The  building  contains  a 
vast  collection  of  pictures  and  other  curiosities  that  cannot  help  inter- 
esting the  visitor. 

The  University  Library  dates  back  to  about  1424.  The  front  of 
the  library  is  a  fairly  handsome  building  in  the  Italian  style  of  archi- 
tecture. Here  are  shelved  about  400,000  volumes  of  printed  books 
and  about  3000  manuscripts,  of  almost  every  age  and  language. 

The  Observatory  was  erected  in  1822-24,  at  an  expense  of  about 
$90,000  ;  $30,000  of  this  was  contributed  by  subscription  and  the  bal- 
ance was  granted  from  the  University.  It  is  equipped  with  all  that  is 
modern  in  the  way  of  telescopes,  lenses,  etc. 

I  am  just  reminded  here  that  during  the  Queen's  great  Diamond 
Jubilee  procession,  when  all  the  royalty  and  the  notables  were  passing, 


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OR,    TWO  YANKEES  IN  EUROPE.  215 

the  Captain  called  my  attention  to  a  carriage  filled  with  ladies  in  ele- 
gant costumes,  and  then  referred  to  his  program. 

"  There,"  said  the  Captain,  "  that  beats  anything  I  ever  saw  !  " 

I  asked  him  what  he  referred  to. 

"Why,"  he  said,  "that  carriage  contains  the  Ladies  of  the  Bed 
Chamber.  Did  you  ever  see  a  lot  of  servants  dressed  in  such  style  as 
they  are  ?  " 

"  About  the  year  of  our  Lord,  727,  lived  in  the  city  of  Oxford  a 
prince  named  Didan."  So  Antony  Wood  begins  his  charming  story 
of  St.  Frideswyde,  the  daughter  of  Didan,  and,  continuing,  he  says  : 
"  Her  father  built  here  a  church,  as  the  lady,  with  doubtful  saintship, 
utterly  disliked  the  notion  that  she  should,  being  a  princess,  be  sub- 
ject to  her  inferiors. 

"  After  this  Frideswyde  took  the  veil  in  her  own  nunnery,  but  she 
was  not  allowed  to  rest  in  peace  for,  '  being  accounted  the  flower  of 
all  these  parts,'  she  was  sought  in  marriage  of  Algar,  King  of  Leices- 
ter. This  '  young  and  sprightly  prince  '  would  not  take  a  refusal,  and 
even  when  his  ambassadors  were  smitten  with  blindness  for  treacher- 
ously endeavoring  to  carry  off  the  lady,  he  himself,  '  breathing  out 
fire  and  sword  intended  for  Oxen.'  Frideswyde  took  refuge  in  a  shel- 
ter for  swine  among  the  woods  at  Bampton,  but  Algar  still  pursued 
her,  till  he  too  was  smitten  with  blindness.  She,  however,  did  not 
return  to  Oxford  for  three  years,  and  when  she  did  return  at  last,  the 
citizens  '  lived,'  if  I  might  say,  'in  a  golden  age,'  no  king  or  enemy 
durst  approach  Oxford.  She  died  in  739  and  was  buried  in  her  own 
church,  of  which  a  fragment  may  perhaps  be  seen." 

Of  this  story,  mixed  as  it  is  with  legend,  much  appears  to  be  true, 
and  around  the  shrine  of  St.  Frideswyde  grew  up  Oxford.  It  was  a 
town  of  importance  long  before  it  was  the  home  of  the  University. 
Apart  from  the  story  of  St.  Frideswyde,  the  earliest  mention  of 
Oxford  is  in  912,  when  the  great  "  King  Edward  took  Lundenbyrg  and 
Oxnaford  and  all  the  lands  adjacent  thereto." 

This  conjunction  of  Oxford  with  London  shows  its  importance. 
The  history  of  the  town  is  an  interesting  one  during  the  past  six  hun- 
dred years.  It  is  an  elegant  city  and  by  many  said  to  far  surpass  that 
of  Cambridge,  although,  personally,  I  wasi  more  impressed  with  my 
visit  to  Cambridge  than  at  Oxford.  There  are  located  here  twenty- 
one  colleges.  The  style  of  architecture  of  the  buildings  is  very  simi- 


2l6  MY  FRIEND,  THE  CAPTAIN  ; 

lar  to  those  at  Cambridge,  while  the  University  is  managed  in  a  similar 
manner,  each  college  being  practically  separate,  but  all  under  the 
charge  of  one  head. 

It  was  at  this  stage  of  our  visit  to  Oxford  that  I  asked  the  Captain 
how  he  was  pleased  with  what  he  had  seen. 

"  I  am  not  pleased  at  all,"  was  his  gruff  reply. 

In  astonishment  I  asked  him  what  there  was  that  had  disappointed 
him. 

"  Why,"  he  answered,  "  before  we  came  here  you  told  me  we  were 
going  to  see  the  '  Great  Seat  of  Learning, '  and  we  have  been  through 
all  these  buildings  and  I  have  not  seen  the  seat  yet." 

Just  then  my  attention  was  attracted  by  an  organ  grinder  who  \va> 
playing  the  "Bonnie  Blue  Flag,"  and  as  "music  hath  charms  to 
soothe  the  savage  breast,"  I  controlled  myself  with  the  desired  effect. 

New  College  is  one  of  the  finest  in  the  city.  This  was  founded  on 
June  30,  1379,  by  William  of  Wykeham,  Bishop  of  Winchester,  and 
was  built  on  a  plot  of  ground  in  the  northeast  angle  of  the  city,  the 
fortified  wall  being  its  boundary  and  defense.  It  was  opened  with 
solemn  religious  ceremonial  April  14,  1386,  and  after  the  lapse  of  five 
hundred  years  most  of  the  buildings  remain  to  this  day  as  they  were 
designed  by  the  munificent  founder.  In  connection  with  this  college 
is  a  fine  old  cloister  and  a  chapel  that  are  very  interesting. 

The  Magdalen  College  was  founded  in  1458  by  William  Patten,  and 
built  in  1475-81.  The  entrance  to  the  college  is  through  a  new  por- 
ter's lodge,  adjoining  the  new  entrance  gate,  in  what  is  called  the  Old 
Quadrangle  of  St.  John  Baptist.  The  chapel  is  in  the  southeast 
corner  of  the  quadrangle,  from  which  was  formerly  delivered  annually 
a  sermon  on  St.  John  the  Baptist's  Day  to  a  congregation  assembled 
in  front  of  the  same,  the  ground  being  strewn  with  rushes  and  grass 
and  the  building  adorned  with  green  boughs  in  commemoration  of  the 
preaching  of  the  Baptist  in  the  wilderness.  This  custom  fell  into  dis- 
use about  1750,  but  it  survived  in  the  University  sermon  in  the  college 
chapel,  annually,  on  the  24th  of  June,  until  last  year,  1896,  when  the 
sermon  was  preached  from  the  old  pulpit.  Each  chapel  is  entered 
under  the  Muniment  Tower  by  a  door  to  the  right.  This  was  com- 
pleted in  1840,  and  is  very  interesting.  The  altar-piece,  "  Christ 
Bearing  His  Cross,"  is  ascribed  to  Ribalta,  a  Spaniard. 

Corpus  Christi  College  was  founded  in  1516  by  Richard  Fox, 
Bishop  of  Winchester  and  Keeper  of  the  Privy  Seal  of  Henry  VIL 


OR,   TWO  YANKEES  IN   EUROPE.  2iy 

and  Henry  VIII.  Bishop  Fox's  original  design  was  to  erect  a  semi- 
nary for  eight  monks  of  St.  Swithun's  Priory,  in  Winchester,  with  a 
few  secular  scholars,  but  this  plan  was  altered,  it  is  said,  at  the  sug- 
gestion of  the  Bishop  of  Exeter,  who  remonstrated  thus  : 

"  What,  my  lord,  shall  we  build  houses  and  provide  livelihoods  for 
a  company  of  buzzing  monks,  whose  end  and  fall  we,  ourselves,  may 
live  to  see?  No,  no  ;  it  is  more  meet,  a  great  deal,  that  we  should 
care  to  provide  for  the  increase  of  learning,  and  for  such  as,  by  their 
learning,  shall  do  good  in  the  church  and  commonwealth." 

Entering  by  the  tower  gateway,  with  fine  vaulted  roof,  is  the  hall, 
which  possesses  good  timber  roof  of  the  sixteenth  century,  and  con- 
tains portraits  of  benefactors.  On  its  summit  are  carved  the  arms  of 
Henry  VII.  Several  objects  of  antiquarian  interest  are  treasured  as 
relics  of  this  college.  Among  them  is  the  pastoral  staff,  in  perfect 
preservation,  though  nearly  four  hundred  years  old.  There  is  also  an 
original  portrait  of  Bishop  Fox,  executed  by  Fleming,  early  in  the 
reign  of  Henry  VIII. 

Pembroke  College  was  endowed  by  Thomas  Tesdale  and  Richard 
Wightwick,  named  after  William,  Earl  of  Pembroke,  then  the  Chan- 
cellor of  the  University.  Almost  all  the  present  buildings  of  Pem- 
broke College  are  quite  modern,  the  chapel  being  a  fair  specimen  of 
the  heavy  classic  of  the  Georgian  period,  and  was  begun  in  1728,  the 
year  of  Dr.  Johnson's  entrance  into  the  college,  and  was  consecrated 
in  1732.  Adjoining  Pembroke  College,  with  its  east  front  facing 
Christ's  Church,  is  the  house  originally  founded  by  Cardinal  Wolsey, 
though  not  completed  until  1834.  There  is  a  very  fine  picture  gallery 
in  Oxford,  which  contains  a  fine  series  of  portraits  of  university 
benefactors  and  other  interesting  pictures. 

In  addition  to  this  is  the  Bodleian  Library.  The  most  ancient 
portion  of  this  Library,  over  the  Divinity  School,  was  founded  by 
Humphrey,  Duke  of  Gloucester,  son  of  Henry  IV.,  in  1455-80.  When 
one  enters  he  is  struck  by  the  stillness  and  solemnity  that  reigns 
around,  helped  by  the  dimly  lighted  windows  with  painted  glass, 
ponderous  shelves,  the  illuminated  missals  and  the  graduates  and 
attendants  conversing  in  low  whispers  as  they  move  quietly  around. 
Bodleian  Library  contains  over  half  a  million  volumes  and  manu- 
scripts, and  other  rich  literary  treasures.  The  University  Museum  was 
built  and  opened  in  1860.  It  contains  a  fine  collection  of  interesting 
relics. 


Entrance  to  Wadham  College,  Oxford,  England. 


OR,  TWO  YANKEES  IK  EUROPE.  219 

Probably  the  most  interesting  building  in  Oxford  is  the  Sheldonean 
Theatre,  where  the  college  commencements  usually  take  place,  where 
students  compete  in  English  and  other  courses  for  prizes  offered  by 
the  Faculty.  The  Sheldonean  Theatre  is  a  circular  building,  the  floor 
being  used  on  state  ocrasions  for  the  scholars  and  the  first  gallery  for 
the  spectators.  It  is  a  most  interesting  building  to  visitors. 

Another  view  of  Oxford  can  be  obtained  from  the  cupola  on  the 
roof.  There  are  many  other  fine  colleges  and  places  of  interest  in 
Oxford,  but  space  will  not  permit  of  any  further  description  of  the 
same. 

While  we  were  preparing  to  leave  Oxford,  the  Captain  asked  me 
where  we  were  next  bound  for. 

"  Windsor,"  I  replied,  "the  most  famous  place  in  England." 

"  You  are  right,"  said  the  Captain.  '•  I  suppose  there  is  more  soap 
manufactured  there  than  in  any  other  town  in  the  world." 

"  Soap,"  I  answered  ;  "  what  do  you  mean  by  that?  ' 

"Why,  'Old  Brown  Windsor  Soap,'"  returned  the  Captain. 
"  Isn't  that  what  the  place  is  famous  for  ?" 

Who  will  disagree  with  me  when  I  say  there  are  times  in  a  man's 
life  when  he  is  justified  in  doing  desperate  things  ? 


MY  FRIEND,   THE  CAPTAIN  ; 


CHAPTER   XVL 
Windsor  Castle  and  Eton  College. 

,  .   \  I  1  HERE  is  no  place  in   Great  Britain  I  want  to  visit  more 
<J  I  U     than  I  do  Windsor  Castle, "  remarked  the  Captain  to  me 


ft)      (* 


on  our  journey  there. 

I  supposed,  of  course,  the  Captain  was  interested  in  its 
historic  attractions,  and  paid  no  further  attention  to  his  remark  until 
our  arrival  at  our  destination,  when,  meeting  one  of  the  policemen  on 
guard,  he  inqnired  : 

"  In  which  apartments  does  the  Queen  reside? " 

The  policeman  pointed  out  the  apartments  occupied  by  Her  Majesty 
when  in  residence  here. 

"  Now,"  said  the  Captain,  addressing  me,  "is  the  moment  I  have 
looked  forward  to  for  many  years." 

' '  How  so  ?  "  I  asked. 

"  Why,  an  introduction  to  the  Queen,"  was  the  reply. 

"An  introduction  to  the  Queen!  "  I  answered.  "What  do  you 
mean?  " 

"  Why,"  said  the  Captain,  "  the  old  lady  lives  here,  and  it  is  my 
intention  to  ha-ve  an  introduction  to  her  before  I  depart." 

And  then  I  went  out  and,  contrary  to  my  custom,  drank  a  quart  of 
" 'alf  an'  'alf  "  to  drown  my  sorrow. 

Probably  there  is  no  place  outside  of  London  of  more  interest  to 
the  tourist  than  Windsor  Castle.  Windsor  is  about  22  miles  distant 
from  London,  and  about  40  minutes  by  rail.  A  very  pleasant  journey 
can  be  made  there  by  taking  the  boat  on  the  Thames  and  going  as  far 
as  Henley,  stopping  over  night,  and  thence  by  boat  to  Windsor  the 
next  morning.  Windsor  is  a  spot  favored  by  nature  with  the  richest 
and  most  variegated  scenery,  diversified  by  hill  and  dale,  beautiful 
parks,  luxuriant  forests  and  verdant  meadows,  and  animated  by  the 
windings  of  a  noble  river,  selected  for  the  residence  of  the  sovereigns 
of  England,  and  enjoying  for  centuries  the  presence  and  support  of 
an  elegant  court,  together  with  its  historical  associations  and  events, 


OR,  TWO  YANKEES  IN   EUROPE.  221 

and  the  magnificent  works  of  art  by  which  the  stately  castle  is 
adorned.  I  think  that  the  traveler  who  has  toured  Europe  and  come 
back  to  Windsor  will  agree  with  me  that  this  is  the  most  elegant  castle 
on  the  other  side  of  the  great  ocean. 

The  first  authentic  notice  of  Windsor,  called  by  the  Saxons, 
"  Windleshore,"  from  the  winding  course  of  the  River  Thames  in  the 
vicinity,  appears  from  a  donation  which  King  Edward  the  Confessor 
made  thereof  to  the  monks  of  Westminster,  wherein  it  is  declared 
that  the  king,  "  for  the  hope  of  eternal  reward  and  the  remission  of 
all  sins,  the  sins  of  his  father,  mother  and  all  of  his  ancestors,  to  the 
praise  of  the  Almighty  God,  grants  Windleshore  with  all  its  appurte- 
nances, as  an  endowment  and  perpetual  inheritance  to  the  monks  that 
there  serve  God."  The  monks  however,  were  not  long  permitted  to 
retain  the  gift,  for  William  the  Conqueror,  in  the  first  year  of  his 
reign,  1066,  being  struck  by  the  beauty  of  the  neighborhood,  the 
salubrity  of  the  air,  its  convenience  to  the  pleasures  of  the  chase  and 
its  vicinity  to  woods  and  waters,  select  ed  it  as  a  residence.  He  there- 
fore required  the  monks  to  resign  it  into  his  possession  and  accept  in 
exchange  certain  lands  and  estates  in  the  County  of  Essex.  The  king 
forthwith  built  a  castle  upon  the  hill,  containing  fifty  acres.  The 
castle  in  Henry  III.'s  time  occupied  the  space  now  called  lower  ward. 
The  hall  of  the  palace  is  now  used  as  the  Deans'  and  Canons'  Library. 
It  is  impossible  to  trace  the  form  of  the  castle  previous  to  Edward  III. 
The  magnificent  improvements  which  the  castle  underwent  in  his 
reign  were,  no  doubt,  due  to  the  affection  which  Edward  bore  to  his 
native  place. 

While  we  were  strolling  though  the  grounds  of  Windsor  Castle,  I 
was  telling  the  Captain  something  of  its  early  history,  and  asked  him 
if  it  was  not  romantic. 

"  I  don't  see  anything  romantic  in  it,"  was  his  reply.  "  To  tell  you 
the  truth,  all  the  time  you  have  been  talking  I  have  been  thinking 
you  have  a  swelled  head." 

' '  Why  so  ?"  I  asked. 

"  Oh  !  all  this  bosh  about  William  the  Conquerer,  Edward  the 
Confessor,  and  I  don't  know  what,"  he  replied,  "  you  are  getting  too 
English." 

I  assured  the  Captain  I  did  not  understand  him,  and  that  while  I 
admired  what  we  had  seen  and  were  seeing,  yet  I  was  as  true  a  patriot 
to  my  own  country  as  he  was. 


I 

•5 

rts 

W 


OR,    TWO  YANKEES  IN   EUROPE.  223 

"  Well,"  he  returned,  "if  that  is  the  case,  give  us  a  rest,  and  show 
me  a  picture  of  George  the  Third  as  he  looked  when  he  heard  our 
Declaration  of  Independence." 

I  told  him  Kodaks  were  not  invented  then,  and  he  appeared 
satisfied. 

New  Windsor  is  situated  on  the  eastern  border  of  the  County  of 
Berkshire  and  has  always  had  the  designation  of  New  to  distinguish  it 
from  Old  Windsor,  a  pleasant  village  about  two  miles  distant.  The 
castle  is  located  directly  opposite  the  station,  about  three  minutes' 
walk,  and  is  built  on  the  summit  of  a  hill,  about  one  hundred  feet 
above  the  level  of  the  Thames  ;  and  here  was  the  home  of  the  rulers 
of  Great  Britain  :  William  the  Conqueror  ;  Henry  I.,  who  celebrated 
here  in  great  state  his  marriage  with  his  queen,  Adelais  of  Lorraine  ; 
King  Henry  II.,  who  held  a  parliament  in  the  castle  in  1170,  and  dur- 
ing the  contest  between  King  John  and  the  barons,  which  terminated 
in  the  granting  of  Magna  Charta,  the  former  took  refuge  in  the  castle 
which  in  the  year  subsequent  to  the  signing  of  the  Charter  was  inef- 
fectually besieged  by  the  barons.  During  the  reign  of  Henry  III.  the 
castle  was  alternately  in  possession  of  both  the  contending  factions. 
Edward  I.  and  Edward  II.  made  Windsor  their  principal  residence. 
It  is  likewise  the  birthplace  of  several  of  their  children,  the  most 
celebrated  of  whom  was  Edward  III.,  who  rebuilt  it  with  the  excep- 
tion of  three  towers  at  the  west  end  of  the  lower  ward.  The  cele- 
brated William  of  Wykeham  superintended  the  works  at  a  weekly 
salary  of  seven  shillings  for  himself  and  three  shillings  per  week  for 
his  clerk. 

Edward  IV.  rebuilt  upon  an  enlarged  scale  the  chapel  of  St. 
George,  in  which  his  remains  were  subsequently  deposited,  as  well  as 
those  of  his  unfortunate  rival,  Henry  VI.  Henry  VII.  made  several 
additions  to  the  chapel  and  upper  ward.  The  ill-fated  Charles  I. 
resided  in  the  castle  at  the  commencement  of  his  reign,  and  held  occa- 
sional courts  in  these  apartments,  which,  towards  the  close  of  his 
eventful  career,  he  was  obliged  to  inhabit  as  prisoner.  Soon  after  the 
Restoration  Charles  II.  adopted  Windsor  Castle  as  his  favorite  resi- 
dence and  commenced  a  series  of  alterations.  William  III.  and 
Queen  Anne  improved  the  parks,  planting  several  avenues  of  elm 
and  beech  trees.  George  I.  frequently  resided  at  the  castle,  where 
every  Thursday  he  dined  in  public,  a  fashionable  custom  at  that  period 


OR,   TWO  YANKEES  IN  EUROPE.  225 

in  continental  courts.  With  the  exception  of  trifling  occasional 
repairs  the  ward  remains  as  it  was  left  by  Charles  II.  until  the  reign 
of  George  III.,  who  selected  Windsor  as  his  principal  residence.  In 
1284  Parliament  granted  $  1,500,000  towards  the  improvement  of  the 
building  the  expenditure  of  which  was  placed  under  the  superintend- 
ence of  seven  commissioners.  Various  other  sums  have  since  been 
voted,  amounting  in  the  aggregate  to  more  than  $4,500,000. 

King  Henry  VIII.  Gateway  on  Castle  Hill  forms  the  entrance  to 
the  lower  ward,  which  is  divided  by  St.  George's  Chapel,  on  the  north 
of  which  are  the  residences  of  the  ecclesiastical  officers  of  the  estab- 
lishment, and  on  the  south  those  of  the  military  knights.  The  residence 
of  the  lay  clerks  is  in  what  is  styled  the  Horse  Shoe  Cloisters.  The 
Curfew  or  Belfry  Tower  was  erected  by  Henry  III.  about  the  twenty- 
fifth  year  of  his  reign. 

The  Captain  was  much  interested  in  the  last  resting  place  of  Sir 
Henry  Wooten,  a  provost  of  Eton  College,  who  had  the  following 
curious  epitaph  inscribed  about  his  grave  : 

Here  lies  the  author  of  this  sentence 
"An  itching  for  dispute  is  the  scab  of  the  church." 
Seek  his  name  elsewhere. 

The  Captain  gazed  at  this  for  a  few  moments  and  turning  to  me 
remarked  : 

"  I  do  not  know  how  long  that  fellow  has  been  dead,  but  it  seems 
to  me  any  one  that  was  the  author  of  such  a  sentence  as  that  is  a  bet- 
ter dead  man  than  he  would  be  a  live  man.  Any  rooster  that  wants 
to  get  into  a  dispute  around  these  diggings  should  be,  in  my  opinion, 
non  est." 

The  State  Apartments  are  a  series  of  splendid  rooms,  commanding  a 
beautiful  prospect  of  the  surrounding  country,  with  large  picture  gal- 
leries, consisting  of  the  Van  Dyke  room,  with  a  choice  collection  of 
the  paintings  of  this  famous  artist ;  the  Zuccarelli  room,  with  some  of 
the  specimens  of  this  artist.  The  state  ante  chamber,  the  ceiling  of 
which  represents  "The  Banquet  of  the  Gods,"  painted  by  Verrio, 
also  contains  several  beautiful  tapestries.  From  this  we  reach  the 
grand  staircase,  which  forms  an  approach  worthy  of  so  splendid  an 
edifice.  The  grand  vestibule  is  47  feet  long,  28  feet  wide  and  45  feet 
high.  This  contains  suits  of  armor  of  the  time  of  Elizabeth  and 
Charles  I.,  and  here  are  also  displayed  Her  Majesty's  Jubilee  presents 


226  MY  FRIEND,   THE  CAPTAIN  ; 

given  her  at  the  golden  jubilee  in  1887.  From  this  vestibule  we  enter 
the  Waterloo  chamber.  This  is  45  feet  high,  98  feet  long  and  47  feet 
wide,  and  is  finished  in  the  style  of  architecture  which  flourished  in 
the  time  of  Elizabeth  and  contains  many  portraits  and  paintings  in 
connection  with  the  battle  of  Waterloo.  From  here  we  pass  to  the 
throne  room,  a  stately  apartment,  finished  in  rich  blue,  which  at  once 
reminds  the  visitor  of  the  imposing  ceremonials  which  from  time  to 
time  take  place  here  in  the  presence  of  the  Sovereign  of  the  Most 
Noble  Order  of  the  Garter.  The  panels  of  the  room  are  enriched  by 
paintings.  The  throne  is  carved  from  ivory  and  is  of  Indian  work- 
manship. It  was  first  shown  at  the  great  exhibition  of  1851,  and  was 
presented  to  the  Queen  by  Maharajah  Travancore.  The  grand  recep- 
tion room  is  next  in  order  and  is  90  feet  long,  34  feet  broad  and  33 
feet  high.  It  contains  a  magnificent  Gothic  window,  filled  with  plate 
glass  and  forming  almost  the  entire  north  end  of  the  room,  opening 
upon  a  beautiful  and  extensive  prospect  over  the  parks  and  adjacent 
country.  The  general  style  of  the  room  is  necessarily  Gothic,  to  cor- 
respond with  the  exterior  of  the  building,  and  is  that  of  the  time  of 
Louis  XIV.  The  workmanship  is  admirable,  and  some  very  elegant 
tapestries  adorn  the  wall. 

St.  George's  Hall  is  next  reached  and  is  200  feet  long,  34  feet 
broad  and  32  feet  high  Entering  this  room  one  is  struck  with  its 
princely  dimensions,  more  than  surprised  by  the  extra  magnificence. 
The  ceiling  is  in  Gothic  style.  There  are  thirteen  windows  on  the 
south  side  of  the  room,  and  on  the  opposite  are  recesses,  in  which  are 
placed  full  length  portraits  of  the  last  eleven  sovereigns  of  England. 

In  the  Music  Gallery  at  the  eastern  end  is  a  powerful  organ, 
beneath  which  is  the  Chair  of  State,  richly  carved  in  steel,  similar  to 
the  Coronation  Chair  at  Westminster  Abbey.  The  banners  and  arms 
of  the  original  companionship  of  the  Knights  of  the  Most  Noble 
Order  of  the  Garter,  as  founded  by  King  Edward  III.  in  1344,  are 
hung  in  this  apartment.  The  Guard  Tower  is  next  reached  and  is  78 
feet  long,  31  feet  high,  and  contains  many  interesting  objects.  Pass- 
ing on  we  come  to  the  Queen's  Presence  Chamber.  The  ceiling  is 
adorned  with  a  fine  painting,  by  Verrio,  of  Catherine  of  Braganza, 
Queen  of  Charles  II.  She  is  represented  as  seated  under  a  canopy, 
spread  by  Time  and  supported  by  zephyrs,  while  Religion,  Prudence 
and  Fortitude  and  other  virtues  are  in  attendance  on  her.  Fame  is 


OR,   TWO  YANKEES  IN   EUROPE.  227 

proclaiming  the  happiness  of  the  country  and  Justice  is  driving  away 
Sedition,  Envy  and  Discord.  The  walls  are  wainscoated  with  oak  and 
decorated  with  four  large  and  splendid  specimens  of  Gobelin  tapestry. 
We  next  enter  the  Queen's  Audience  Chamber.  The  ceiling  of  this 
apartment  is  also  painted  by  Verrio,  the  subject  being  Queen  Cather- 
ine of  Braganza,  Queen  of  Charles  II.,  personified  as  Britannia. 

The  private  apartments  may  occasionally  be  seen  by  special  per- 
mission. These  apartments  are  elegantly'  furnished  and  enriched 
with  the  most  elaborate  decorations,  containing  every  requisite  and 
accommodation  for  the  sovereign  and  her  immediate  attendants. 
They  are  occupied  by  the  Queen  when  in  residence  here  and  contain 
some  very  fine  paiatings,  one  room  especially  being  given  up  to 
Rubens'  works. 

Between  the  two  wards  of  the  castle  is  situated  the  Keep,  or 
Round  Tower,  which  is  built  on  the  summit  of  a  lofty  artificial 
mount.  This  is  open  to  visitors  and  a  sight  well  worth  viewing  is  to 
be  had  from  the  summit. 

A  most  interesting  part  of  the  castle  is  the  Albert  Memorial  Chapel, 
and  when  we  take  into  consideration  the  comparative  smallness  of  its 
dimensions,  it  may  be  said  to  have  one  of  the  most  splendid  interiors 
in  the  world.  Its  dimensions  are,  length  sixty-eight  feet,  breadth 
twenty-eight  feet,  and  sixty  feet  high.  Without  viewing  the  edifice 
it  is  impossible  to  realize  the  rich  beauty  of  its  magnificent  decora- 
tions. The  interior  kas  been  fitted  up  with  great  magnificence  by 
Queen  Victoria,  in  memory  of  the  Prince  Consort.  The  entire 
vaulted  roof  is  covered  with  mosaic  figures,  ornaments  and  inscrip- 
tions ;  the  stained  glass  windows  are  of  surpassing  richness  and  color 
and  very  superior  workmanship,  showing  full  length  portraits  in  them, 
representing  the  ancestors  of  the  Prince  Consort.  At  the  east  of  the 
building  is  placed  a  cenotaph,  with  the  recumbent  figure  of  the  Prince 
in  armor,  and  at  his  feet  his  favorite  hound,  Eos.  The  cap  of  the 
cenotaph  is  grand  antique  marble,  which  bears  this  inscription  :  "Al- 
bert, the  Prince  Consort,  born  Aug.  25,  1819,  died  Dec.  14,  1861  ; 
buried  in  the  Royal  Mausoleum  at  Frogmore.  '  I  have  fought  the 
good  fight,  I  have  finished  my  course.  '  " 

At  the  west  end  is  the  sarcophagus  of  the  late  Duke  of  Albany.  In 
the  center  of  the  chapel  is  the  sarcophagus  of  the  late  Duke  of  Clar- 
ence and  Avondale,  son  of  the  Prince  of  Wales,  whose  untimely  death 


1 

u 


1 


OR,   TWO  YANKEES  IN  EUROPE.  229 

in  January,  1892,  cast  such  a  gloom  over  the  nation.  This  building 
was  erected  by  Henry  VII.  as  a  burial  place  for  himself  and  successors. 
Upon  his  later  preference  of  Westminister  Abbey  for  that  purpose,  it 
remained  neglected  until  Cardinal  Wolsey  obtained  a  grant  of  it  from 
Henry  VIII.  With  the  same  profusion  of  expense  which  marked  all 
the  public  acts  of  his  life,  he  began  to  prepare  it  as  a  receptacle  for 
his  remains,  but  at  the  confiscation  of  his  property  it  reverted  to  the 
Crown. 

The  following  royal  personages  have  been  interred  here  :  Prince 
Octavius  and  Prince  Albert,  children  of  George  III.  ;  Duchess  of 
Brunswick  ;  Princess  Adelaide  and  Princess  Elizabeth,  children  of 
the  Duke  of  Clarence  ;  Prince  Haroia,  infant  son  of  the  Prince  and 
Princess  Christian  of  Schleswig-Holstein  ;  Victoria  Georgiana,  infant 
daughter  of  Princess  Frederica  ;  Princess  Amelia  ;  Princess  Charlotte  ; 
Duke  of  Kent  ;  William  IV.  ;  Princess  Augusta  ;  Queen  Adelaide  ; 
George  III.  ;  George  V.,  King  of  Hanover. 

I  called  the  attention  of  the  Captain  to  the  elegant  monuments  in 
Albert  Memorial  and  St.  George's  Chapel.  The  Captain  gazed  on 
them  for  a  few  moments,  and  his  answer  was  this  : 

"Yes,  they  are  great  monuments,  but  I  don't  see  one  that  comes 
up  to  Bunker  Hill." 

What  else  could  I  do  but  pass  to  the  outer  door  and  shed  a  tear  ? 

St.  George's  Chapel,  one  of  the  most  interesting  parts  of  Windsor 
Castle,  was  erected  by  order  of  Edward  IV.  about  the  year  1474,  and 
since  that  time  has  been  endowed  largely  by  succeeding  monarchs. 
The  principal  entrance  is  at  the  west  end  of  the  nave,  which  has  been 
greatly  improved  by  the  erection  of  a  grand  flight  of  stone  steps,  with 
a  handsome  carved  balustrade,  also  in  stone.  On  entering  the  chapel 
the  admiration  of  the  spectator  is  immediately  excited  by  the  gran- 
deur of  its  architecture,  which  is  in  the  perpendicular  style,  extremely 
light  and  elegant  in  proportion,  and  unrivaled  in  the  richness  of  its 
carvings  in  stone  and  oak.  The  stone  roof,  which  was  executed  in 
the  reign  of  King  Henry  VII.,  is  especially  remarkable  for  its  beauti- 
ful tracery.  The  armorial  bearings  of  several  sovereigns,  including 
Edward  the  Confessor,  Edward  III.,  Henry  VI.,  Edward  IV.  and 
Henry  VII.,  and  other  illustrious  knights  companions  are  emblazoned 
on  the  ceiling. 

The  great  west  window  is  a  fine  specimen  of  stained  glass,  contain- 
ing six  tiers  and  compartments,  each  six  feet  in  height  and  displaying 


OR,  TWO  YANKEES  IN  EUROPE.  231 

seventy-five  figures  representing  Edward  the  Confessor,  Edward  IV. 
and  Henry  VII.  The  glass  in  this  window  was  collected  from  various 
parts  of  the  chapel  in  1774.  A  number  of  interesting  monuments  are 
to  be  found  in  St.  George's  Chapel,  among  which  may  be  mentioned 
that  of  the  Duke  of  Kent,  erected  by  the  Queen  to  the  memory  of  her 
illustrious  father. 

Crossing  over  the  nave  to  the  west  end  of  the  north  aisle  we  find 
the  magnificent  statues  of  Leopold  I.,  late  King  of  the  Belgians,  placed 
here  by  the  Queen,  near  the  noble  monument  to  his  first  wife.  Here 
is  also  buried  Princess  Charlotte,  whose  resting  place  is  covered  by  a 
magnificent  cenotaph,  which  was  erected  by  national  subscription. 
Opposite  the  north  aisle,  near  the  third  window,  is  a  monument  to 
George  V.,  King  of  Hanover,  consisting  of  a  pillared  framework  of 
polished  marble.  The  vault  of  Henry  VIII.  and  Charles  I.  are  nota- 
ble. They  are  located  in  the  centre  of  the  choir,  which  is  near  the 
eleventh  stall  of  the  sovereign's  side,  where  are  deposited  the  remains 
of  Henry  VIII.  and  his  Queen,  Lady  Jane  Seymour,  as  well  as  the 
remains  of  Charles  I.  and  an  infant  daughter  of  Queen  Anne. 

Near  the  altar  is  a  large  memorial  window  to  Prince  Albert,  repre- 
senting the  Resurrection.  On  the  north  side  of  the  arch  is  the  origi- 
nal tomb  of  Edward  IV.,  which  contains  his  name  in  raised  brass 
letters,  and  is  placed  on  a  black  marble  slab,  over  which  are  his  arms 
and  crown,  supported  by  cherubim.  In  the  south  aisle  is  a  statue  to  the 
late  Emperor  Frederick  of  Germany,  executed  in  pure  white  marble 
and  representing  the  emperor  in  military  costume,  wearing  his  vari- 
ous orders,  the  hands  clasped  upon  the  handle  of  his  sword.  In  the 
middle  of  the  aisle  is  a  large  flat  carved  stone,  bearing  only  the  in- 
scription "  Henry  VI."  The  remains  of  this  monarch  were  removed 
from  Chertsey  Abbey,  where  they  were  first  interred,  by  command  of 
Henry  VII.  In  the  center  of  the  Braye  Chapel  has  been  erected  a 
monument  to  the  late  Prince  Imperial  of  France,  by  command  of  the 
Queen.  This  monument  is  sculptured  in  white  marble,  with  a  recum- 
bent figure,  representing  the  Prince  in  the  uniform  which  he  wore  in 
Africa  during  the  Zulu  war,  in  which  he  lost  his  life.  There  are 
many  other  interesting  monuments  and  windows  that  will  bear  the 
closest  inspection. 

The  Captain  noticed  the  British  flag  floating  on  Windsor  Castle 
and  other  parts  of  this  historic  building.  I  observed  that  he  gave 


ui 


OR,   TWO  YANKEES  IN  EUROPE.  233 

particular  attention  to  this,  and  that  something  was  coming  sooner  or 
later,  but  it  came  sooner  than  I  thought. 

"  See  here,"  said  the  Captain,  "  not  a  single  Star  Spangled  Banner 
have  I  seen  during  my  tour  today.  I  have  got  tired  of  this  kind  of 
business  and  want  to  go  back  to  Boston.  The  sooner  we  get  there  the 
better  I  shall  feel." 

And  the  Captain  pulled  out  one  of  his  shilling  cigars,  and  I  noticed 
that  he  lighted  the  wrong  end,  smoking  away  furiously  as  he  mounted 
the  carriage  to  be  driven  to  Eton  College. 

Leaving  Windsor  and  ten  minutes'  walk  crossing  the  Thames, 
brings  one  to  that  venerable  and  illustrious  seminary  known  as  Eton 
College,  which  for  four  centuries  has  planted  the  seeds  of  learning  in 
the  expanding  mind  of  youth.  This  historical  institution  was 
founded  by  King  Henry  VI.  in  September,  1440.  The  buildings  were 
commenced  in  the  following  year  and  when  completed  contained  ac- 
commodations for  "  twenty-five  poor  grammar  scholars  .and  twenty- 
five  poor  and  infirm  men  to  pray  for  the  king. "  The  present  estab- 
lishment consists  of  a  provost,  vice-provost,  fifteen  fellows,  a  head 
master,  a  lower  master,  assistants,  seventy  scholars,  seven  lay  clerks 
and  ten  choristers,  beside  the  inferior  officers  of  the  collegers.  The 
scholars  on  the  foundation  are  called  collegers,  and  are  distinguished 
by  wearing  a  black  cloth  gown.  The  others  are  termed  oppidans,  the 
expense  of  whose  education  and  maintenance  is  defrayed  by  relatives, 
and  who  board  in  private  houses  within  the  precincts  of  the  college. 
The  school  is  yearly  increasing  and  now  numbers  about  loco  students. 
Upon  the  day  of  election  the  senior  scholars  deliver  public  orations  in 
the  upper  school,  selected  from  the  classics  and  best  English  authors. 

The  buildings  of  the  college  form  two  large  quadrangles  and  with 
the  exception  of  the  chapel  are  built  of  brick,  having  the  roof  battle- 
mented.'  The  principal  front  faces  the  Thames  and  a  neatly  disposed 
garden  extends  to  the  bank  of  the  river.  The  outer  quadrangle  is 
formed  on  the  east  side  by  the  clock  tower  and  apartments  of  some  of 
the  masters  and  on  the  north  by  the  lower  school,  above  which  was 
formerly  a  long  chamber  or  dormitory  for  the  scholars  on  the  founda- 
tion ;  on  the  south  side  by  the  chapel,  and  on  the  west  by  the  upper 
school,  which,  with  the  stone  arcade  beneath  it,  was  built  by  Sir 
Chiistopher  Wren,  at  the  expense  of  Dr.  Allestre,  provost  of  the 
college,  after  the  restoration.  This  room  extends  the  entire  width  of 


234  MY  FRIEND,   THE  CAPTAIN  ; 

the  college  and  is  adorned  with  marble  busts  of  King  George  III 
William  IV.,  Queen  Victoria,  Prince  Albert,  Duke  of  Wellington, 
Marquis  of  Wellesley,  Earls  of  Chatham,  Howe  and  Grey  and  many 
other  notables.  From  this  place  have  issued  some  of  the  greatest 
English  statesmen,  divines,  philosophers  and  poets.  In  the  center  of 
the  courtyard  is  a  bronze  statue  of  Henry  VI. 

The  Chapel  is  a  very  handsome  gothic  structure,  supported  on  each 
side  by  massive  buttresses.  It  is  175  feet  in  length,  including  the 
ante-chapel  at  the  west  end,  and  has  undergone  very  many  improve- 
ments since  first  erected.  The  ante-chapel  is  also  quite  interesting  to 
the  observer. 

The  young  gentlemen  educated  at  Eton  are  greatly  addicted  to 
aquatic  amusements,  and  on  the  fourth  of  June  of  each  year,  in  com- 
memoration of  the  birthday  of  George    III.,  they  go  in  procession, 
habited  in  fancy  dresses,  in  several  long  boats  ornamented  with  flags 
and  accompanied  with  music,  to  a  meadow  opposite  Surly  Hall,  about 
three  miles  up  the  river,  where  a  collation  is  provided.     On  their  re- 
turn a  brilliant  display  of  fireworks  is  exhibited  on  an  island  a  short 
distance  below  Windsor  Bridge.      The  spectacle  has  been  frequently 
graced  with  the  presence  of  several  members  of  the  royal  family,  and 
annually  attracts  a  considerable  number  of  distinguished  visitors. 

"  What  do  you  think  of  Eton  College?"  I  asked' of  the  Captain 
after  we  had  finished  our  inspection  of  that  institution.  The  Captain 
was  quiet  for  a  rew  moments  evidently  in  sober  thought.  His  an- 
swer came  at  last : 

"  The  college  is  all  right,  I  suppose,  but  I  will  be  hanged  if  I  un- 
derstand all  this  royalty  business.  I  haven't  seen  a  single  shoe  fac- 
tory in  the  town." 


OR,    TWO  YANKEES  IN   EUROPE.  235 


CHAPTER  XVII. 
Stoke  Poges  and  Hampton  Court. 

WHILE  journeying  from  Windsor  to  Stoke  Poges,  the  Captain 
was  much  interested  in  a  description  of  this  historical  spot, 
as  related  to  us  by  the  conductor  who  had  charge  of  the 
brake  in  which  we  were  riding.     After  describing  Stoke 
Poges  and  the  Poet  Gray,  the  Captain,  who  had  been  listening  atten- 
tively, turned  to  the  conductor  and  remarked  : 

' '  Is  old  man  Gray  still  living  ?    Does  he  live  at  Stoke  Poges  ?' ' 
And  to  keep  the  matter  quiet  I  bribed  the  conductor  with  two 
shillings. 

Leaving  Eton,  we  pass  through  a  beautiful  country  on  our  way  to 
Stoke  Poges,  the  Country  Churchyard,  and  the  scene  of  Gray's 
"Elegy."  What  school  boy  of  the  present  day  has  not  read  these 
lines  : 

"  The  curfew  tolls  the  knell  of  parting  day, 

The  lowing  herd  winds  slowly  o'er  the  lea, 
The  ploughman  homeward  plods  his  weary  way, 
And  leaves  the  world  to  darkness  and  to  me. 

"  Now  fades  the  glimmering-  landscape  on  the  sight, 

And  all  the  air  a  solemn  stillness  holds, 
Save  where  the  beetle  wheels  his  droning  flight. 
And  drowsy  tinklings  lull  the  distant  folds." 

Stoke  Poges  is  one  of  the  most  interesting  spots  in  England,  and  a 
short  story  of  the  life  of  Thomas  Gray,  the  poet,  may  be  appropriate 
at  this  point. 

Interesting  to  the  students  of  English  country  life  is  the  history  of 
any  English  village,  but  some  spots  there  are  round  which  lingers 
the  memory  of  some  departed  genius,  whose  spirit  seems  even  after 
death  to  hover  round  the  haunts  he  loved  in  life,  calling  men  and 
women  from  all  lands  to  visit  the  calm  retreat  made  famous  by  this 
muse.  Had  Shakespeare  not  lived,  Stratford-atte-Bowe  would  have 
been  as  well  known  as  Stratford-upon-Avon  ;  and  but  for  Gray,  Stoke 


•s  U  a 

J  *» 

w  -•= 


II 


t«      a  — 

£  «?! 


c     ~ 


OR,   fWO  YANKEES  IN   fiUROPE.  237 

Poges  would  have  been  a  name  unknown  to  the  world  at  large.  Born 
at  his  father's  house  in  Cornhill,  on  December  26,  1716,  Thomas  Gray 
was  the  only  one  of  a  family  of  twelve  who  reached  maturity.  His 
father  was  a  clever  man  of  business,  with  extravagant  habits  and 
cruel  to  a  degree  both  to  his  wife  and  son.  His  mother  ( Dorothy 
Antrobus,  her  maiden  name )  possessed  the  good  sense  and  kindly 
heart  her  husband  lacked  and  seems  to  have  fully  deserved  the 
affection  her  son  ever  showed  her.  About  1727,  Gray  was  sent  to 
Eton  at  his  mother's  charges,  and  there  begun  his  famous  friendship 
with  Horace  Walpole  and  Richard  West.  There,  too,  he  gained  that 
love  for  the  literature  of  Greece  and  Rome  which  makes  its  influence 
felt  in  almost  every  line  of  his  poetry.  At  Eton,  he  chose  the 
student's  life — "Gray  never  was  a  boy,"  says  Walpole — and  that 
choice  he  never  deserted.  Pembroke  Hall,  Cambridge,  was  his  home 
for  a  short  time  in  1734,  but  he  soon  left  it  for  Peterhouse,  Walpole 
going  to  King's  a  little  later,  and  West  to  Christ's  Church,  Oxford. 
His  vacations  he  spent  at  his  uncle's  house  at  Burnham,  where  he 
revelled  in  the  beeches  and  doubtless  found  time  to  explore  Stoke 
Poges.  He  left  Cambridge  in  1738,  and  six  months  afterwards 
started  on  his  famous  continental  tour  with  Horace  Walpole.  They 
began  their  travels  on  terms  of  closest  friendship,  but  two  years  and 
a  half  of  close  companionship  gave  birth  to  differences  which  parted 
them  in  1741,  to  come  together  again  in  three  years'  time  into  a 
renewal  of  intimacy  only  broken  by  death.  In  November,  1741, 
Gray 's  father  died,  having  before  his  death  succeeded  in  squander- 
ing all  his  possessions.  Mrs.  Gray  wound  up  her  business  in  Cornhill 
and  came  to  live  with  her  sister,  Mrs.  Rogers,  at  the  farmhouse  in 
Stoke  Poges,  where  Stoke  Court  now  stands.  Here,  in  June,  1742 — 
the  month  and  year  that  West  ("  Favonius  ")  died — Gray  made  his 
first  of  many  visits  to  Stoke  Poges.  At  that  time  the  old  manor 
house  still  stood  in  its  original  shape  as  built  in  1555  by  the  Earl  of 
Huntingdon,  and  was  occupied  by  Viscount  Cobham.  Mrs.  Rogers' 
house,  where  Gray  stayed  with  his  mother,  was  at  West  End,  some 
three-quarters  of  a  mile  from  the  church  which  Gray  afterwards  made 
so  famous.  In  those  days  it  was  a  two-story  farmhouse,  of  which 
the  stone  fireplace  with  "  1.6.4.8  "  engraved  on  it,  Gray's  bedroom, 
and  the  window  at  which  he  sat,  alone  remain  in  their  original 
Condition. 


OR,   TWO  YANKEES  IN   EUROPE.  239 

* 

There  is  a  fee  attached  to  about  every  place  that  one  visits  in  Eng- 
land. As  we  passed  into  the  yard  at  Stoke  Poges  and  entered  the 
lodge,  we  were  requested  to  register  and  deposit  sixpence  each. 

"What  is  that  for  ?  "  asked  the  Captain. 

"  Why,"  I  replied,  "  it  is  your  admission  to  the  graveyard." 

"  Well,"  said  the  Captain  eyeing  me,  "  I  will  be  hanged  if  this 
isn't  the  cheapest  entrance  to  a  graveyard  I  ever  heard  of  in  my 
life  !  " 

And  if  the  matron  in  charge  had  not  stopped  him,  the  Captain 
would  have  filled  up  his  pipe  and  smoked  it  on  the  spot. 

On  a  slope  some  little  distance  from  the  house  there  exists  the 
arbor  in  which  Gray  "  used  to  sit  and  dream,"  and  the  scene  around 
is  still  as  calm  and  remote  from  all  the  busy  stir  of  life  as  when  Gray 
described  himself  as  "still  at  Stoke,  hearing,  seeing,  doing  abso- 
lutely nothing."  It  was  in  this  year,  however,  that  he  laid  the  foun- 
dations of  his  fame.  "  Exegi  monumentem  acre  perennius  "  might 
have  been  said  by  Gray  if  he  could  have  looked  into  the  secrets  of 
the  future,  for  it  was  in  November,  1742,  that  he  began  the  "  Elegy." 
In  August  he  had  written  his  ' '  Ode  to  Spring  ' ' — famous  for  ' '  a  soli- 
tary fly" — an  ode  that  sounded  the  note  of  revolt  against  the  do- 
minion of  the  couplet,  a  sonnet  to  the  memory  of  West,  his  ' '  Ode  on 
a  Distant  Prospect  of  Eton  College,"  and  the  "Ode  on  Adversity." 

In  October  or  November,  brooding,  perhaps,  over  the  late  death 
of  his  friend  West,  and  inspired  by  the  quiet  rusticity  of  his  surround- 
ings, he  began  the  poem,  which  more  than  all  others  has  made  his 
name  famous.  His  uncle,  Jonathan  Rogers,  died  at  Stoke  Poges,  on 
Oct.  31,  1742,  and  was  buried  in  the  neighboring  parish  of  Burnham. 
There  seems  to  be  little  doubt  that  it  was  very  soon  after  that  date 
that  Gray  began  the  composition  of  the  "  Elegy,"  though  it  was  not 
actually  finished  till  the  year  1750.  Some  jealous  souls  would  try  to 
prove  that  "  the  country  churchyard"  is  not  that  of  Stoke  Poges. 
It  is  enough  to  remember  that  Gray  began  the  ' '  Elegy  ' '  when  resid- 
ing at  Stoke  Poges,  that  for  many  years  he  spent  his  vacations  at 
Stoke  Poges,  that  his  aunt  and  his  mother  were  both  buried  at  Stoke 
Poges,  and  that  if  he  knew  any  country  churchyard  well  that  was  the 
one. 

It  was  in  1750,  some  months  after  his  aunt's  burial  at  Stoke,  that 
he  wrote  to  Walpole  :  "  I  have  been  here  at  Stoke  a  few  days,  having 


240  MY   FRIEND,   THE  CAPTAIN  ; 

put  an  end  to  a  thing  whose  beginning  you  have  seen  long  ago;  I  im- 
mediately send  it  to  you."  Its  beginning  was  at  Stoke,  at  Stoke  were 
added  the  final  touches,  and  the  "  weary  ploughman's  "  descendants 
still  plough  the  Stoke  furrows,  and  in  the  tower  the  "  moping  owl  " 
still  rears  its  brood.  There  may  be  some  doubt  as  to  the  real  birth- 
place of  Homer,  but  none  to  the  country  churchyard  in  which  the 
"  Elegy  "  was  "  wrote."  From  this  year  (the  year  1742)  begins  the 
second  period  of  Gray's  life.  Forced  by  circumstances  and  the  want 
of  money  to  give  up  his  original  idea  of  reading  for  the  bar,  he  decided 
to  live  at  Cambridge,  spending  all  his  spare  time  with  his  mother 
and  aunt  at  Stoke.  He  returned  to  Peterhouse,  and  devoted  all  his 
hours  to  study.  He  deserted  his  muse  and  for  five  years  read  Greek 
and  little  else.  In  1747,  at  Walpole's  persuasion,  he  published  his 
"  Ode  on  a  Distant  Prospect  of  Eton  College,"  but  it  met  with  scant 
appreciation.  In  1747,  also,  he  immortalized  Walpole's  cat  in  a  poem 
that  was  ' '  rather  too  long  for  an  epitaph  but  not  too  long  to  delight 
the  lovers  of  happy  trifles."  In  1749  his  aunt  died  and  was  buried  at 
Stoke  and  shortly  afterwards  he  finished  the  "Elegy."  \Valpole 
received  a  copy  and  showed  it  to  his  friends  and  among  others  to 
Lady  Cobham  (then  living  at  the  manor  house),  who  had  little  idea 
till  she  was  told  by  the  Rev.  Robert  Purt,  that  "  a  wicked  imp  they 
called  a  poet"  had  been  for  some  years  living  in  her  parish.  Femi- 
nine curiosity  was  aroused  and  two  messengers  of  Fate,  in  the  shape 
of  Lady  Schaub  and  Miss  Speed  (Lady  Cobham 's  niece),  invaded  the 
shy  poet's  retreat,  only  to  find  him  out.  A  note  was  left,  the  fish 
rose  to  the  fly,  and  thus  began  Gray's  intimacy  with  Lady  Cobham, 
and  literature  was  enriched  by  a  story  not  too  long.  The  ' '  Long 
Story,"  redolent  of  quiet  humor,  was  written  in  August,  1750,  but  not 
published  ( except  privately )  during  Gray's  lifetime.  The  "Elegy" 
was  published  by  Dodsley  in  1751,  and  rapidly  went  through  fifteen 
editions,  meeting  with  appreciation  everywhere.  Criticism  of  such 
a  poem  would  be  here  out  of  place,  but  what  was  written  of  it  by  Dr. 
Johnson,  who  had  a  very  poor  opinion  of  Gray's  merits  as  a  poet,  is 
interesting  :  "  It  abounds  with  images  which  find  a  mirror  in  every 
mind,  and  with  sentiments  to  which  every  bosom  returns  an  echo. 
The  four  stanzas  beginning,  '  Yet  ev'n  these  bones,'  are  to  me  origi- 
nal. I  have  never  seen  the  notions  in  any  other  place.  Yet  he 
that  reads  them  here  persuades  himself  that  he  has  always  felt  them. 


OR,   TWO  YANKEES  IN   EUROPE.  241 

Had  Gray  written  often  thus  it  had  been  vain  to  blame  and  useless  to 
praise  him." 

After  we  had  strolled  over  some  of  the  most  interesting  parts  of 
the  church  at  Stoke  Poges  and  the  grounds  surrounding  it,  the  Cap- 
tain in  the  meantime  giving  close  attention  to  the  description  related 
by  our  attendant,  he  turned  to  me  and  whispered. 

"  Who  was  this  fellow  Gray?" 

"  Why,"  I  replied,  "  he  was  a  celebrated  poet  of  his  time,  nearly 
two  hundred  years  ago,  and  he  was  the  author  of  'Gray's  Elegy,' 
famous  as  one  of  the  greatest  productions  from  the  pen  of  man." 

"  You  say  he  was  a  poet,"  replied  the  Captain. 

"  Certainly,"  I  answered.     "  A  famous  poet." 

"Then,"  said  the  Captain,  as  he  broke  off  a  twig  from  near  his 
tomb,  "  he  is  the  chap  that  wrote  '  Beautiful  Snow,'  isn't  he  ?  " 

And  the  Captain  glanced  skyward  and  said  it  looked  like  rain, 
while  I  almost  hoped  it  might  be  a  deluge. 

The  year  1753  saw  the  first  appearance  of  a  collection  of  Gray's 
poems  in  the  shape  of  the  "  Six  Poems,  by  T.  Gray,"  published  by 
R.  Bentley,  and  containing  a  portrait  of  the  poet.  The  same  year 
Mrs.  Gray  died,  and  was  buried  at  Stoke,  he,  her  son  composing  the 
epitaph,  which  may  still  be  read:  "In  the  same  pious  confidence, 
beside  her  friend  and  sister,  here  sleep  the  remains  of  Dorothy  Gray, 
widow,  the  careful  mother  of  many  children,  one  of  whom  alone  had 
the  misfortune  to  survive  her."  His  m.-ther's  death  left  Gray  with 
a  sufficient  competence  to  enable  him  to  live  on  at  Cambridge  in  the 
simple  fashion  he  loved  best ;  and,  except  for  occasional  visits  to 
friends  and  tours  to  Scotland  and  the  Lakes,  and  a  three  years'  stay 
in  London,  the  rest  of  his  life  was  spent  in  that  town. 

In  1754  he  wrote  the  "  Progress  of  Poesy,"  which  quickly  brought 
him  to  the  front  as  a  master  of  English  lyrics,  and  the  following 
year  he  began  "  The  Bard."  A  silly  freak  of  some  undergraduates  at 
Peterhouse,  who  knew  of  Gray's  constitutional  terror  of  fire,  led  him 
to  leave  his  rooms  at  that  college  and  accept  the  welco  me  willingly 
offered  him  at  Pembroke,  where  for  the  last  fifteen  years  of  his  life 
he  spent  his  time  quietly  and  happily  among  his  books  and  his 
flowers.  Some  concerts  given  at  Cambridge  by  John  Parry,  the 
famous  blind  harper,  set  "all  his  learned  body  a  dancing,"  and 
spurred  him  on  to  the  completion  of  "  The  Bard."  There  was  no 


The  Great  Hall,  Hampton  Court,  England. 


OR,   TWO  YANKEES  IN   EUROPE.  243 

living  poet  who  approached  him  either  in  the  estimation  of  the  pub- 
lic or  of  the  literary  world  ;  and  on  Colley  Gibber's  death,  in  1757,  he 
was  offered  the  post  of  poet  laureate.  Partly  from  a  disinclination  to 
be  "at  war  with  the  little  fry  of  his  own  profession,"  he  thought  fit 
to  decline.  In  1758  his  aunt,  Mrs.  Rogers,  died  at  Stoke,  and  Gray 
shut  up  West  End  Farm,  only  visiting  the  village  rarely  during  the 
rest  of  his  life.  The  next  three  years  he  spent  in  London,  living  in 
Southampton  row,  close  to  the  British  Museum,  then  in  its  infancy, 
but  even  in  its  earliest  days  a  real  treasure  to  a  student  such  as  Gray. 
It  was  at  this  time  that  some  friends  of  his  thought,  and  perhaps 
hoped  that  he  would  marry  Lady  Cobham's  neice,  Miss  Speed.  He 
confined  himself,  however,  to  writing  her  a  sonnet,  which  has  but 
little  of  the  ring  of  a  successful  wooer,  and  gave  himself  up  to  his 
books  and  his  friends. 

In  1762  the  post  of  professor  of  modern  history  and  modern 
languages  at  Cambridge  fell  vacant,  and  Gray's  friends  tried,  but  in 
vain,  to  secure  his  election.  Other  influences  were  more  powerful, 
and  it  was  not  until  1768  that  he  was  elected  to  the  only  post  he  ever 
seems  to  have  coveted.  During  the  next  few  years  he  took  great  in- 
terest in  Icelandic  literature,  and  the  "  Descent  of  Odin  "  and  the 
' '  Fatal  Sisters, ' '  show  what  time  he  must  have  bestowed  upon  his 
stud}^  of  a  new  and  difficult  language.  Few  events  ruffled  the  tenor 
of  his  last  years.  Travels  in  the  South,  travels  in  the  north  of  Eng- 
land, an  occasional  visit  to  Mason  at  York,  and  a  short  tour  in  the 
Highlands  occupied  his  vacations ,  while  his  time  at  Cambridge 
slipped  happily  along,  cheered  by  his  friendship  writh  Nichols  and 
Bonstetten,  whose  frankness,  gaiety  and  love  of  literature  did  much 
to  enliven  Gray's  last  two  years. 

For  some  time  his  health  had  been  poor,  and  a  visit  to  London  in 
May,  1771,  did  him  little  good.  Troubled  with  gout,  neuralgia  and 
an  incessant  cough,  he  went  back  to  Cambridge  in  July,  after  paying 
his  last  visit  to  Walpole.  On  July  24  he  was  taken  seriously  ill  while 
at  dinner  in  a  hall  at  Pembroke,  and  after  five  days'  illness  he  passed 
quietly  away,  comforted  at  the  end  by  the  presence  of  Mary  Antrobus, 
his  niece.  On  August  5  he  was,  according  to  his  own  desire,  buried 
in  the  churchyard  he  loved,  "in  the  vault  made  by  my  late  dear 
mother.''  And  there  he  lies,  with  only  a  simple  stone  on  the  church 
wa'l  opposite  to  mark  the  place.  Erected  by  John  Penn  there  is  a 
monument,  only  interesting  through  the  verses  inscribed  upon  it ; 


244  MY  FRIEND,  THE  CAPTAIN  ; 

and  the  best  memorial  to  Gray  is  the  spirit  which  yearly  brings  hun- 
dreds of  visitors  to  gaze  upon  his  tomb. 

Here  at  Stoke  Poges  was  the  home  of  William  Penn,  the  founder 
of  Pennsylvania.  His  ancestors  are  buried  in  the  country  church- 
yard, and  there  have  been  erected  here  several  tablets  to  their  memory. 

No  more  delightful  trip  can  be  taken  from  London  than  a  visit  to 
Hampton  Court.  A  pleasant  way  to  reach  this  s  pot  is  a  boat  ride  on 
the  Thames  to  Hampton  and  return  on  the  top  of  a  'bus  through  Bushy 
woods  to  Richmond,  where  a  change  is  made  for  a  tram  car,  which 
will  convey  the  tourist  to  Kew,  thence,  on  top  of  a  'bus,  into  London, 
passing  through  a  delightful  country  with  most  beautiful  scenery. 

After  our  visit  at  Stoke  Poges,  the  Captain  and  myself  stood  in  a 
neighboring  field  surveying  the  beautiful  rustic  scenery  that  lay 
before  us,  when  I  asked  him  how  he  was  impressed  with  his  visit  here. 

"Well,"  replied  the  Captain,  "  I  suppose  you  like  it.  I  did  not 
come  to  England  to  visit  old  graveyards,  and  the  next  best  thing  to 
do  is  to  find  out  if  there  is  a  good  continuous  show  around  If  there 
is  we  will  take  that  in." 

Hampton  Court  was  originally  built  by  Cardinal  Wolsey,  who  pre- 
sented it  to  his  sovereign,  Henry  VIII.  It  was  the  birthplace  of  Ed- 
ward VI  ;  the  masques  and  tournaments  of  Phillip,  Mary  and  Eliza- 
beth occurred  here  ;  also  the  celebration  of  the  marriage  of  Cromwell's 
daughter  to  Lord  Falconbury.  The  palace  is  a  splendid  structure  of 
red  brick  with  stone  ornaments  and  is  almost  entirely  devoted  at  the 
present  time  to  an  exhibition  of  pictures.  There  are  portraits  of 
many  of  the  great  beauties  of  Charles  II.  's  Court,  besides  other  paint- 
ings of  many  of  the  old  masters,  among  them  a  fine  picture  of  Charles 
II.  on  horseback,  by  Van  Dyck.  The  entrance  to  the  palace  is 
through  the  gates  at  the  foot  of  Hampton  Court  Bridge.  Historic 
associations,  awakened  by  the  many  very  opposite  aspects  of  the 
place,  will  then  arise  in  chronological  review,  and  the  numerous 
beauties  will  reach  their  climax,  as  one  makes  his  exit  from  the 
gardens. 

Entering  the  gateway,  one  passes  along  to  what  is  known  as  the 
first  courtyard  of  Wolsey 's  palace,  which  is  indeed  grand  and  worthy 
of  description.  Just  before  entering  the  courtyard  and  turning  to  the 
left,  passing  up  a  broad  flight  of  stairs,  the  visitor  enters  what  is 
known  as  the  great  hall,  which  formed  no  part  of  the  original  palace, 
but  was  not  commenced  until  five  years  after  the  Cardinal  had  given 


OR,   TWO  YANKEES  IN  EUROPE.  245 

tip  Hampton  Court  to  Henry  VIII.  The  main  attraction  of  these 
halls  are  the  elegant  glass  windows  representing  a  variety  of  histor- 
ical incidents,  among  which  is  the  pedigree  of  the  six  wives  of  Henry 
VIII  ;  also  the  fine  tapestries  with  which  the  walls  are  hung,  and 
which  are  some  of  the  oldest  in  Europe. 

As  noted  above,  Henry  VIII.  added  much  to  Hampton  Court  after 
receiving  it  as  a  gift  from  Wolsey.  Anne  Boleyn  went  hence  to  be 
beneaded,  Jane  Seymour  came  hither  to  give  birth  to  Edward  VI., 
after  which  she  died  ;  Philip  and  Mary  passed  a  gloomy  honeymoon 
here  ;  James  I.  held  here  in  1604  his  conferences  with  the  bishops  and 
Puritan  leaders.  He  talked  much  Latin  and  disputed  with  Dr.  Rey- 
nolds, telling  the  petitioners  that  they  wanted  to  strip  Christ  again, 
and  bade  them  get  away  with  their  snivelling.  When  they  besought 
leave  to  hold  their  prophesying  meetings,  he  cried  out  violently : 
"Ay,  is  it  that  ye  would  be  at  ?  If  you  aim  at  a  Scotch  Presbytery,  let 
me  tell  you,  it  agrees  as  well  with  monarchy  as  God  and  the  devil  ; 
then  shall  Jack  and  Tom  and  Will  and  Dick  meet,  and  censure  my 
council;  therefore,  I  reiterate  my  former  speech — '  Le  rol  s'avisera.' 
Stay,  I  pray  you,  for  one  seven  years,  before  you  demand,  and  then  if 
you  grow  pursy  and  fat,  I  may  perchance  hearken  to  you,  for  that 
government  will  keep  me  in  health,  and  find  me  work  enough." 
The  end  of  it  was,  that  he  cried  out,  "  No  bishop,  no  king  !  " 

"  Well  Captain,"  I  remarked,  as  we  were  enjoying  the  sights  in 
and  around  the  grand  old  palace,  "one  can  hardly  realize  that  this 
was  once  the  stronghold  of  Cardinal  Wolsey. ' ' 

"  How  do  you  know  it  was  ?  "  he  replied. 

"  It's  a  matter  of  history,"  I  added. 

"  History  be  hanged  !  "  said  the  Captain  as  he  faced  me.  "  What 
had  Wolsey  to  do  with  history  ?  ' ' 

"  What  had  Wolsey  to  do  with  history  ?"  I  returned,  "why  he  was 
the  man  that  at  one  time  controlled  the  destiny  of  England." 

"  Go  tell  that  to  the  marines,"  shouted  the  Captain.  "The  only 
man  who  ever  controlled  the  destiny  of  England,  was  George 
Washington." 

And  the  Captain  left  me  and  went  to  examine  an  old  piece  of 
tapestry  and  asked  the  attendant  if  it  was  "sold  by  the  yard  or  by 
the  piece." 

Charles  I.  escaped  from  Hampton  Court  in  1647,  only  to  be  placed 
in  stricter  confinement  in  Carisbrooke  Castle.  Oliver  Cromwell 


Entrance  to  Pond  Garden,  Hampton  Court,  England, 


OR,  TWO  YANKEES  IN  EUROPE.  247 

made  Hampton  Court  his  residence  and  probably  was  the  means  of 
arresting  its  sale.  Charles  II.  gave  the  palace  to  the  Duke  of  Alber- 
marle,  who  afterwards  redeemed  it  and  occupied  it  himself.  William 
and  Mary  were  the  founders  of  the  modern  parts.  An  interesting 
feature  of  the  palace  is  the  astronomical  clock  over  the  gateway  in  the 
second  quadrangle.  A  few  paces  to  the  southeast  corner,  across  the 
clock  court,  takes  us  into  the  Ionic  colonnade  of  Sir  Christopher 
Wren,  beautiful  in  itself,  but  very  much  misplaced  here.  This  colon- 
nade leads  to  the  king's  great  staircase,  which  is  the  best  approach  to 
the  state  rooms.  We  might  fancy  ourselves  in  the  palace  of  Louis  XV. 
instead  of  that  of  a  British  sovereign. 

Leaving  the  great  hall  and  passing  over  the  courtyard,  a  tour  of 
the  apartments  of  the  palace  is  commenced  in  what  is  known  as 
Room  No.  i  and  continued  to  No.  32,  there  being  about  thirty-two 
apartments  devoted  to  pictures  and  a  few  articles  of  historic  interest. 
In  the  great  watching  chamber  is  to  be  found  a  fine  lot  of  tapestries 
which  were  hung  here  in  the  time  of  Wolsey  and  that  manifestly  be- 
longed to  a  period  anterior  to  those  in  the  hall. 

In  Room  No.  6,  known  as  the  state  bedroom  of  King  William  III. 
will  be  found  the  state  bed  of  Queen  Charlotte,  brought  from  Wind- 
sor. The  lilac  satin  draperies  of  the  bed  were  embroidered  by  the 
Clergy  Orphan  School  for  Queen  Charlotte,  consort  of  George  III. 
Verrio  painted  the  ceiling,  which  represents  Night  and  Day.  At  the 
head  of  the  bed  is  a  clock  made  bv  Daniel  Quare,  which  needs  wind- 
ing only  once  a  year.  In  Room  No.  1 1,  known  as  Queen  Anne's  bed- 
room, is  seen  the  state  bed  of  Queen  Anne,  with  its  hangings  which 
were  worked  at  Spitalfields.  The  ceiling  was  painted  by  Sir  James 
Thornhill,  and  represents  Aurora  rising  out  of  the  sea  in  her  golden 
chariot,  drawn  by  four  white  horses  and  attended  by  Cupids.  Enter- 
ing Room  12,  a  magnificent  view  of  the  gardens  at  Hampton  Court  is 
to  be  obtained  from  the  windows.  This  should  not  be  lost,  and  is 
only  equaled  by  a  similar  view  at  the  Palace  of  Versailles.  Room  19 
is  known  as  the  Queen's  private  chapel.  It  is  very  small,  yet  answers 
the  purpose  for  which  it  was  intended.  Queen  Caroline  was  accus- 
tomed to  have  prayers  read  by  her  chaplain  in  a  room  adjoining  her 
private  chamber,  while  she  was  dressing.  Her  toilet  was  performed 
in  the  little  room  next  to  this,  called  the  Queen's  bath  closet.  In 
Room  No.  21,  known  as  the  private  dining  room,  is  now  placed  the 
state  bed  of  King  William  III.,  on  the  left  with  crimson  damask.  On 


Anne  Boleyn's  Gateway,  Hampton  Court,  England. 


OR,   TWO  YANKEES  IN  EUROPE.  249 

the  right,  hung  with  crimson,  is  that  of  his  queen,  Mary.  Some  of 
the  lace  with  which  this  was  formerly  covered  still  remains.  There  is 
a  small  bed  in  the  center  of  this  room  that  was  used  by  King  George 
II.  when  he  resided  at  this  palace. 

In  making  a  tour  of  the  rooms  a  very  fine  view  of  what  is  known 
as  the  Fountain  Court  can  be  obtained.  Its  dimensions  are  110x117 
feet  with  a  cloister  on  all  four  sides. 

Leaving  the  palace,  a  walk  can  be  taken  through  the  delightful 
gardens,  which  now  resemble  a  magnificent  park,  with  wide  walks, 
trees,  shrubbery  and  grass  in  profusion. 

In  the  rear  of  the  palace  is  what  is  known  as  the  vinery,  entirely 
covered  with  the  grapes,  growing  from  the  ceilings  of  the  terraces. 
This  is  the  private  property  of  Queen  Victoria,  and  the  grapes  are 
grown  here  for  her  table.  The  grape  vines  in  this  vinery  are  ninety 
years  old,  and  yield  3000  bunches  of  grapes  a  year.  It  is  estimated 
that  there  are  from  150,000  to  250,000  people  visit  Hampton  Court 
each  year. 

While  passing  out  of  the  gate  of  the  courtyard  at  Hampton  Court, 
a  seedy -looking  individual  approached  the  Captain  and  looking  him 
in  the  face  remarked  : 

"  "Ow  are  ye,  guv'ner  ?    It  is  a  long  time  since  I've  seen  ye." 

The  Captain  looked  at  him  and  remarked  : 

' '  You  must  be  mistaken  ;  I  do  not  know  as  I  ever  met  you  before. " 

"  V'y,"  said  the  individual,  "  don't  you  remember  me?  Johnson, 
the  cab  driver  ?  It  can't  be  that  you  have  forgotten  your  old  friend, 
Johnson?  " 

The  Captain  straightened  up  and  grasped  the  man's  hand,  remark- 
ing :  "  Johnson,  is  this  you?  I  hadn't  the  slightest  idea  of  meeting 
you  here  in  England.  What  can  I  do  for  you?" 

"  Well,  guv'ner,"  was  the  reply,  "  if  you  can  lend  me  a  bob  for  a 
couple  of  days,  I  will  thank  you  very  much." 

And  without  further  parley,  the  Captain  passed  a  shilling  over  to 
the  beggar,  who,  bowing,  passed  on. 

After  his  departure,  I  asked  the  Captain  why  it  was  he  encouraged 
such  people.  Turning  to  me  the  Captain  remarked  : 

"  Wouldn't  you  do  a  favor  for  a  friend  ?  That  is  old  Johnson,  the 
cab  driver  ;  many  a  time  I  have  seen  him  around  the  Old  Colony  depot 
in  Boston." 

And  then  I  felt  worse  than  I  did  when  I  crossed  the  English  Channel. 


250  MY   FRIEND,   THE  CAPTAIN; 


CHAPTER 
The  Home  of  Shakespeare. 

($\  "I  PON  our  arrival  at  Stratford-on-Avon,  the  Captain  was  much 
/  interested  in  the  quaint  old  town  and,  after  looking  around 

V^A.     for  a  while,  he  turned  to  me  and  remarked  : 

"  And  so  this  is  the  home  of  Shakespeare  ?  " 

"Yes,"  I  replied,  ' '  this  is  the  home  of  the  historic  bard. " 

"  Let  me  see,"  said  the  Captain,  and  he  paused  for  a  moment. 

"What  are  you  thinking  of  ?  "  I  asked. 

"I  was  just  thinking,"  said  the  Captain,  "that  the  old  fellow 
wrote  some  kind  of  a  play,  didn't  he?  " 

"  Why,  yes,"  I  replied.     "  He  did." 

"  What  I  was  thinking  about,"  remarked  the  Captain,  "was  the 
name  of  the  play.  If  I  remember  rightly  it  was  '  Under  the  Gas- 
light.' " 

I  never  in  my  life  felt  more  like  drowning  myself. 

Among  the  numerous  visitors  to  Stratford-on-Avon,  the  birthplace 
and  home  of  Shakespeare,  Americans  form  the  most  important  con- 
tingent. It  seems  singular,  but  it  is  nevertheless  the  fact  that  few 
Britons  realize  how  much  they  owe  to  these  pilgrims  to  the  old  home. 
Most  of  the  historic  objects  of  the  greatest  possible  value  have  been 
spared  from  destruction  because  of  their  popularity  with  Americans, 
and  mariy  a  Briton  has  been  shamed  into  an  interest  in  the  priceless 
treasures  of  his  own  land  by  the  intimate  knowledge  of  such  treas- 
ures, shown  by  cultivated  Americans. 

Stratford  is  easily  reached  from  I^ondon  by  direct  rail  through  a 
charming  country,  a  distance  of  about  one  hundred  miles.  There 
are  no  large  hotels  at  Stratford,  but  numerous  small  and  comfortable 
ones,  the  chief  of  which  may  be  mentioned  as  that  of  the  Red  Horse, 
famous  as  the  stopping  place  of  our  own  Washington  Irving,  as  well 
as  other  well-known  Americans. 


OR,   TWO  YANKEES  IN  EUROPE.  25! 

As  the  birthplace  of  Shakespeare  it  might  be  apropos  to  mention 
here  a  little  of  the  early  history  of  the  family,  which  dates  back  to 
the  fifteenth  century.  John  Shakespeare,  William's  father,  was  born 
in  1530,  and  apprenticed  when  fourteen  years  old  to  a  glover  in  Strat- 
ford-on-Avon.  The  family  had  been  in  very  poor  circumstances  up  to 
this  time,  and  in  his  case  he  would  be  free  of  his  apprenticeship  in  1551. 
The  town  records  show  that  he  resided  in  Henley  street  in  that  year, 
and  in  1556  he  was  described  as  a  glover.  In  the  last  year  named  he 
bought  two  houses,  one  on  Henley  street  and  another  on  Greenhill 
street,  and  also  sued  a  neighbor  to  the  value  of  about  eight  quarters 
of  barley,  from  which  we  may  gather  he  was  an  active  business  man. 
Meanwhile  as  his  business  prospered  he  had  doubtless  kept  well  in 
touch  with  Robert  Arden,  his  father's  landlord,  and  his  own  uncle  by 
marriage,  as  he  had  succeeded  in  winning  the  affections  of  Mary,  the 
youngest  daughter  of  Robert  Arden. 

John  Shakespeare  married  in  1557,  and  on  September  5,  1558,  John 
Shakespeare's  first  child  was  baptized  in  the  name  of  Joan  at  the 
parish  church,  and  a  second  daughter,  Margaret,  was  baptized  Decem- 
ber 2,  1562,  and  buried  on  April  30,  1563.  On  April  26,  1564,  was 
baptized  Gulielmus  Filius  Johannes  Shakespeare,  otherwise  known  HS 
William  Shakespeare,  and  as  it  was  usual  to  baptize  a  child  three 
days  after  birth,  the  23d  of  April  has  been  recorded  as  the  birthday  of 
the  great  poet. 

At  five  years  of  age  he  went  to  the  "  petty  school,"  and  at  seven 
to  the  grammar  school,  where  he  probably  remained  until  he  was 
fourteen.  About  this  time  the  affairs  of  the  family  were  under  a 
cloud,  business -was  no  longer  prosperous  and  there  was  probably 
some  ill  feeling  between  John  Shakespeare  and  some  of  his  influential 
neighbors.  It  seems  unlikely  that  William  remained  in  school  later 
than  fourteen,  for  his  father  had  need  of  his  help.  This,  however,  is 
contradicted  by  other  authorities,  one  especially,  that  of  a  recent 
author,  Edward  James  Castle,  Q.  C.,  who  suggests  from  evidence  in 
the  plays  themselves  that  Shakespeare  began  life  as  a  boy  actor, 
playing  women's  parts.  Therefore  we  can  only  speculate  as  to  how 
the  time  was  filled  between  the  poet's  schooldays  and  his  eighteenth 
year,  when  he  married  Anne  Hathaway,  the  daughter  of  a  Shottery 
farmer,  his  bride  being  eight  years  older  than  the  poet.  It  has  been 
suggested  that  they  lived  unhappily,  but  authorities  have  not  been 


OR,   TWO  YANKEES  IN   EUROPE.  253 

able  to  find  any  evidence  to  that  fact.  The  scene  of  the  wedding  is 
not  exactly  known,  though  the  date  is  approximately  fixed  by  a  bond 
given  at  Worcester  in  November,  1582,  in  connection  with  the  license. 
The  short  time  elapsing  between  the  date  of  this  bond  and  the  bap- 
tism of  a  daughter  in  May,  1582,  has  given  rise  to  the  suggestion  that 
the  legal  marriage  had  been  preceded  by  a  hand-fasting,  which  was  a 
popular  and  also  perfectly  legal,  though  incomplete,  form  in  those 
days. 

About  a  week  before  our  departure  for  home,  the  Captain  was  en- 
tertaining a  party  of  Englishmen,  in  the  smoking  room,  with  stories 
of  the  new  world  across  the  sea.  During  an  intermission,  one  of 
them  turned  to  him  and  remarked  : 

"  Well,  you  may  say  what  you  please,  but  we  have  the  satisfaction 
of  knowing  we  are  five  hours  ahead  of  you,  and  you  can  never  catch 
up  with  us. ' ' 

In  England  the  time  is  five  hours  earlier  than  in  the  United 
States,  yet  this  did  not  disturb  my  friend,  for  he  immediately,  replied  : 

"  Well,  you  may  be  five  hours  ahead  of  us  in  time,  but  we  are 
fifty  years  ahead  of  you  in  everything  else." 

The  English  subject  was  forced  to  pay  for  the  cigars. 

In  1583,  while  the  Smithfield  men  were  being  prosecuted  in  a 
mild  way,  Edward,  the  head  of  the  family  to  which  the  poet's  mother 
belonged,  was  seized  on  a  trumped-up  charge  of  conspiracy  against 
the  Queen's  life,  and  after  a  trial  that  was  the  talk  of  the  country  and 
also  of  foreign  courts,  was  executed  at  Smithfield,  the  whole  matter 
being  arranged  by  Leicester,  the  Queen's  favorite,  who  had  reasons 
for  hating  Edward  Arden,  but  Sir  Thomas  Lucy  also  took  a  part  in 
the  prosecution,  and  it  seems  quite  likely  these  troubles  might  have 
led  to  Shakespeare's  suddenly  leaving  home,  perhaps  after  an  out- 
burst against  Sir  Thomas  Lucy. 

Whether  the  poet  went  to  London,  or  whether  he  traveled  in  the 
provinces  with  the  actors,  whom  he  may  have  at  first  joined,  has  not 
been  recorded.  Of  his  life  in  London  but  little  is  known.  Between 
1585  and  1592,  there  is  only  one  record  concerning  him,  which  shows 
that  in  1589  he  joined  with  his  father  in  bringing  a  bill  of  complaint 
for  the  recovery  of  his  mother's  land  from  a  relative  to  whom  it  had 
been  mortgaged.  In  1597,  so  great  had  been  Shakespeare's  success 
in  London  he  was  able  to  return  to  Stratford  and  purchase  the  most 


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OR,  TWO  YANKEES  IN  EUROPE.  255 

important  private  house  in  the  town,  known  as  New  Place.  For  this 
house,  with  its  gardens  and  orchard,  he  paid  the  small  sum  of  sixty 
pounds,  or  about  $300. 

In  1601  his  father,  John  Shakespeare,  was  laid  to  rest  in  the  old 
parish  church  and  the  year  following  the  poet  bought  107  acres  of 
land.  In  1605  he  bought  a  portion  of  the  local  tithes  and  in  1607  his 
eldest  daughter,  Susanna,  was  married  to  Dr.  John  Hall,  and  in  the 
year  following  the  poet  was  able  to  attend  the  baptism  of  his  first 
grandchild.  For  the  next  ten  years  matters  went  smoothly  and  in 
January  1616,  the  poet  must  have  felt  his  end  approaching,  for  he 
made  his  will,  and  on  April  23,  the  anniversary  of  his  birth,  Shakes- 
peare passed  away,  and  two  days  following,  April  25,  was  buried  in 
the  Church  of  Holy  Trinity. 

His  widow,  who  will  always  be  remembered  as  Anne  Hathaway, 
rather  than  Mistress  Shakespeare,  lived  until  August,  1623,  and  on 
the  8th  of  that  month  was  buried  beside  her  husband. 

A  tour  of  Stratford-on-Avon  is  most  interesting,  the  first  place  to 
visit  being  that  of  Shakespeare's  birthplace,  well  known  from  its 
innumerable  pictorial  representations.  Here  is  shown  the  very  room 
in  which  the  poet  was  born,  the  house  in  which  the  Shakespeare 
family  lived,  and  the  adjoining  workshops  in  which  his  father,  John 
Shakespeare,  carried  on  the  glover's  trade.  This  house  belongs  to 
the  town  corporation,  and  is  in  charge  of  custodians,  who  give  the 
particulars  of  the  numerous  objects  here  preserved.  A  portion  of  the 
building  is  set  apart  for  what  is  known  as  the  Shakespeare  Museum, 
containing  many  relics  of  the  great  poet.  This  property  was  bought 
in  1847  by  the  corporation  of  Stratford.  The  main  room  of  the  house 
is  the  first  one  entered  by  visitors.  At  one  time  it  was  used  as  a 
butcher's  shop  and  the  massive  chimney  with  its  ample  space  for 
smoking  hams  and  bacons,  is  the  most  interesting  part.  The  living 
room  behind  this  one  has  a  similar  great  fireplace,  with  room  for 
seats  in  the  ingle-nook.  Behind  it  again  is  a  tiny  parlor  and  the 
passageway  leads  to  the  back  door,  opening  into  the  garden.  From 
this  living  room  a  stairway  goes  down  to  the  cellar  and  another  up  to 
a  tiny  landing  off  which  opens  the  birth  room  of  Shakespeare,  over 
the  main  room.  This  bedroom  has  a  similar  great  chimney.  Its 
windows  still  contain  a  few  of  the  old  panes  of  glass,  scratched  all 
over  with  the  names  of  notabilities.  Across  the  little  passageway, 


256  MY  FRIEND,  THE  CAPTAIN  ; 

behind  the  birth  room  is  what  is  known  as  the  portrait  room,  from 
the  fact  that  it  contains  the  Stratford  picture  of  Shakespeare.  This 
picture  has  a  curious  history.  It  hung  from  an  unknown  date  in  a 
house  belonging  to  the  Clopton  family  and  was  bought  from  them  by 
William  Hunt  in  1758.  With  the  house  certain  pictures  and  fixtures 
were  bought,  but  it  was  one  hundred  years  later,  in  1860,  that  some 
one  suggested  that  the  particular  picture  in  question  had  been  painted 
at  two  periods  and  that  the  latter  work  was  very  inferior  to  the  origi- 
nal. When  the  latter  work  had  been  removed  the  picture  appeared 
as  it  is  seen  today,  and  from  its  similarity  to  portraits  of  the  poet  was 
claimed  as  an  undoubted  Shakespeare.  The  room  was  originally 
divided  into  two  apartments.  The  portrait  is  treasured  in  a  large  safe 
and  is  open  in  the  daytime  to  visitors.  In  the  rear  of  the  house  is  a 
beautiful  garden  and  a  part  of  the  property.  Entering  the  main  room 
again,  and  turning  to  the  left,  we  have  what  is  known  as  the  Museum, 
containing  a  great  number  of  most  interesting  exhibits  of  Shake- 
speare and  his  time.  In  addition  to  this  is  what  is  known  as  the 
librarian's  room,  with  a  great  collection  of  pictures,  rare  prints, 
books,  etc.  Here  is  also  Shakespeare's  chair,  from  the  Bidford  Fal- 
con, which  is  sat  upon  by  almost  all  visitors,  and  here  is  also  shown  a 
letter  written  by  Richard  Quincy  to  Shakespeare,  in  1598,  asking  a 
loan  of  thirty  pounds.  This  is  the  only  letter  addressed  to  the  great 
poet  known  to  exist. 

"  I  say,"  said  the  Captain,  as  we  were  walking  towards  the  Anne 
Hathaway  Cottage,  "  where  are  you  going  across  those  fields  ?" 

"  To  visit  Anne  Hathaway 's  Cottage,"  I  returned. 

"Anne  Hathaway,"  remarked  the  Captain,  "Anne  Hathaway; 
who  is  she?  " 

And  then,  of  course,  I  informed  him  that  she  was  Shakespeare's 
wife. 

"Shakespeare's  wife,"  remarked  the  Captain.  "What  was  the 
matter  with  her  ?  " 

"Matter,"  I  replied,  "  what  do  you  mean  by  that?  " 

"  What  did  they  get  a  divorce  for  ?  "  was  the  Captain's  reply. 

"Divorce,"  I  remarked.  "They  were  not  divorced.  Why  do 
you  ask  this  question  ?  " 

"  Well,"  said  the  Captain,  "  if  they  were  not  divorced,  why  is  she 
called  Anne  Hathaway  ?  Why  not  Anne  Shakespeare?  " 


OR,   TWO  YANKEES  IN   EUROPE.  257 

And  amid  the  summer's  sun,  I  plucked  1i  blade  of  grass  and  won- 
dered where  we  were  at. 

The  next  most  interesting  place  is  the  Anne  Hathaway  cottage 
which  is  located  in  Shottery,  about  a  mile's  walk  across  the  fields  and 
is  a  pleasant  ramble  at  any  time  when  the  weather  is  fine.  The 
Hathaway  cottage  has  the  strongest  possible  claim  to  the  honor 
which  has  been  accorded  to  it  from  time  immemorial.  Through  the 
centuries  the  tradition  had  been  verbally  preserved  that  Shakespeare's 
wife  was  Anne  Hathaway,  and  this  was  her  home  ;  and  the  confirma- 
tion given  by  the  recently  discovered  marriage  bond,  with  the  name 
L,atinized  as  Annam  Hathwey,  was  very  satisfactory. 

The  house  is  a  good  thatched  farmhouse  of  the  days  of  Queen  Bess, 
divided  late  in  the  eighteenth  century  into  two,  and  still  later  into 
three  habitations.  At  the  time  I  visited  this  place  it  was  inhabited 
by  a  Mrs.  Baker,  a  charming  old  lady,  who  has  been  for  many  years  a 
custodian  of  this  place.  She  was  in  her  eighty-fifth  year,  and  is  de- 
scended from  the  Hathaway s.  The  interior  is  interesting.  The 
living  room  contains  small  latticed  windows  and  a  great  open  fire- 
place and  a  wooden  settee,  which  it  is  said  that  Shakespeare  and  his 
wife  used  for  courting.  Passing  up  a  flight  of  stairs  we  come  to  Anne 
Hathaway's  bedroom,  with  its  great  four-posted  bed.  Strange  to 
say,  only  two  days  before  my  visit,  Ellen  Terry,  who  has  taken  such 
an  active  part  in  Shakespeare's  play,  made  her  first  visit  to  this 
cottage. 

Along  Henley  street,  at  the  top  of  the  bridge,  and  at  the  corner  of 
Wood  street,  is  a  curious  little  brick  building,  erected  in  1810. 
Down  the  center  of  this  street,  until  about  1860,  stood  Middle  Row,  a 
number  of  houses  and  shops  dividing  the  street  into  two  miserable, 
narrow  thoroughfares.  On  the  right  is  High  street,  and  at  the  cor- 
ner is  Judith  Shakespeare's  house,  the  home  of  Shakespeare's 
younger  daughter  during  the  first  thirty-six  years  of  her  married  life. 
The  house  in  question  is  o^med  by  the  corporation  of  Stratford.  Im- 
mediately opposite  the  house  and  near  the  other  side  of  High  street, 
stood  the  market  cross.  Passing  along  High  street  there  are  curious 
glimpses  up  some  of  the  narrow  side  alleys,  and  those  who  step  within 
will  find  evidence  that  many  of  the  houses  now  fronted  with  brick  or 
stucco,  are  fine  timbered  buildings.  The  finest  of  them  all,  fortu- 
nately, retains  its  old  carved  fronts,  and  is  well  worth  notice,  known 


"o 

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QQ 


OR,  Two  YANKEES  IN  EUROPE.  259 

as  the  Harvard  House.  Here,  until  her  marriage  in  1605,  lived 
Catherine  Rogers,  who  became  the  wife  of  Robert  Harvard,  and  the 
mother  of  John  Harvard,  who  emigrated  to  America  and  founded 
Harvard  University,  Cambridge,  Mass. 

At  the  other  side  of  High  street  is  the  Shakespeare  Hotel,  full  of 
mementos  of  the  Garrick  Celebration,  of  which  it  was  the  head- 
quarters. Adjoining  and  a  part  of  this  establishment  is  the  house  of 
the  five  gables,  the  most  picturesque  piece  of  half  timbered  domestic 
architecture  in  the  town.  After  crossing  the  bridge  we  come  to  the 
Memorial  theatre,  library  and  picture  gallery,  and  just  beyond  is  the 
Holy  Trinity  Church  which  Shakespeare  used  to  attend  and  where 
the  remains  of  both  himself  and  wife  are  laid. 

Holy  Trinity  Church,  dating  back  to  1337,  over  550  years  ago,  is 
an  interesting  place  to  visit.  Edward  III.  gave  this  church  a  charter 
in  1413  and  portions  of  the  present  church  probably  date  from  the 
time  of  the  Conquest  or  thereabouts,  when  they  were  erected  on  the 
site  of  an  earlier  Saxon  church.  On  entering  this  venerable  house  of 
worship  we  find  the  visitors'  collection  boxes,  and  a  small  pamphlet 
issued  by  the  vicar  as  a  guide  to  the  church. 

In  a  glass  top  box  under  the  west  window  of  the  north  aisle  is  the 
old  parish  register,  open  at  the  entries  of  the  baptism  and  burial  of 
Shakespeare.  Here,  too,  is  the  chained  Bible,  and  under  the  west 
window  of  the  south  aisle  is  the  old  font  in  which  the  poet  was  bap- 
tized. The  church  sets  in  about  300  feet  from  the  road  and  is  reached 
by  a  wide  pathway  lined  with  shade  trees. 

The  Memorial  theatre,  library  and  picture  gallery  was  opened  to 
the  public  on  April  23,  1879.  The  library  contains  some  7000  volumes, 
including  the  plays  in  a  great  number  of  editions  and  languages, 
books  on  Shakespeare  and  his  works,  plays  of  sixteenth  century 
authors,  books  on  contemporary  history,  costume,  etc.,  and  bio- 
graphies of  Shakespearean  actors.  In  the  center  of  the  town  is  to  be 
seen  a  fine  memorial  fountain,  erected  by  the  late  George  W.  Childs, 
of  Philadelphia. 

There  are  many  pleasant  walks  and  drives  from  Stratford.  Kenil- 
worth  and  Warwick  castles  can  be  reached  by  an  hour's  drive  through 
a  beautiful  country.  There  is  a  large  number  of  stores  in  Stratford- 
011- A  von,  devoted  exclusively  to  the  sale  of  curiosities  and  "  Shakes- 
perean  mementos. ' '  While  I  was  visiting  one  of  these  shops  I  was 


i 


I 

CO 


U 


OR,   TWO  YANKEES  IN  EUROPE.  261 

interested  in  an  American  lady  who  was  bargaining  for  a  genuine 
"Shakespearean  plate,"  or,  in  other  words,  a  plate  that  had  been 
used  by  Shakespeare  in  his  own  family  during  his  lifetime.  The 
price  of  the  plate  was  £i  or  $5,  and  with  it  went  a  "  certificate  "  from 
the  shopkeeper  to  the  effect  that  the  article  was  genuine.  The  lady 
finally  bought  the  plate,  paying  the  price  of  the  same.  I  afterward 
learned  that  about  200  of  these  plates  are  sold  annually,  and  each  one 
is  guaranteed  genuine,  having  been  used  by  Shakespeare  in  his  own 
family. 

The  Red  Horse  Tavern,  of  which  mention  was  made  at  the  com- 
mencement of  this  chapter,  is  located  on  the  main  street  and  is  a 
quaint  old  tavern,  entered  through  an  archway  to  a  sort  of  courtyard, 
or  what  we  might  call  a  stable  yard.  The  entrance  to  the  office  of  the 
tavern  is  on  the  left,  and,  strange  to  say,  the  office  is  nothing  more 
nor  less  than  a  bar  room,  presided  over  by  a  barmaid.  The  first 
room  on  the  left  is  called  the  Washington  Irving  Room.  It  is  small, 
only  lox  12  feet.  Here  Washington  Irving  made  his  home  while  at 
Stratford.  In  this  room  a  portion  of  his  "Sketches"  were  written. 
In  a  glass  case  is  to  be  seen  the  identical  chair  which  he  used  and 
also  the  old  poker  with  which  he  used  to  stir  the  grate  fire.  There  is 
also  an  old  grandfather's  clock  here,  which  in  Irving's  day  was  used 
as  a  timepiece  for  the  hotel .  The  walls  of  this  room  are  lined  with 
pictures  and  photographs  of  actors,  actresses  and  notabilities,  most  of 
whom  have  visited  Stratford-on-Avon  and  made  this  hotel  their 
home. 

It  was  toward  the  close  of  the  afternoon  of  our  first  day  at  Strat- 
ford-on-Avon, when  the  Captain  was  looking  a  little  weary,  and  turn- 
ing to  me  remarked  : 

"  How  long  do  you  expect  to  stay  in  this  town  ?  " 

"  A  couple  of  days,"  I  answered,  "  will  be  sufficient  for  us  to  see  it 
thoroughly." 

"  Two  days, "  said  the  Captain,  "two  days!  What  do  you  want 
to  stay  here  that  long  for  ?  Old  Shakespeare  is  dead  and  we  might  as 
well  get  out." 

I  drowned  my  sorrows  with  an  English  cigar,  and  if  the  reader 
ever  smoked  one  he  can  realize  my  sufferings. 


262  MY   FRIEND,    THE  CAPTAIN; 


CHAPTER  XIX. 
Chester  and  Hawarden. 

~T~T  FTER  locating  in  our  hotel  at  Chester,  one  of  the  first  things 
ffx/l       the  Captain  wanted  to  do  was  to  take  a  carriage  drive. 
(§/    A         "  Come,"  he  remarked  to  me,  "  let's  go  out  and  see  what 
we  can  '  charter  '  a  hack  for." 

And  I  immediately  followed  my  companion,  until  we  were  ap- 
proached by  a  driver  with  a  landau,  when  the  following  conversation 
between  the  Captain  and  the  driver  ensued  : 

"Say,"  remarked  the  Captain,  "how  much  are  you  going  to 
charge  us  for  a  couple  of  hours'  drive  around  town  ?" 

The  driver  eyed  the  Captain  for  an  instant,  sized  him  up  from  head 
to  foot,  and  then  remarked  : 

"  Twenty -five  shillings  is  the  price,  guv'ner — " 

"  I  would  not  think  of  paying  such  a  rate." 

"As  I  was  saying,  guv'ner,  twenty-five  shillings  is  the  price,  but 
under  the  circumstances,  I  would  take  you  for  twenty  shillings — ' 

"  No,  sir,  I  will  not  pay  twenty  shillings." 

"  But,  as  I  was  saying,  while  I  would  take  twenty  shillings,  I  sup- 
pose, under  the  circumstances,  I  would  accept  sixteen  shillings — ' 

"  Now,  look  here,"  said  the  Captain,  "  we  do  not  propose  to  be 
buncoed  by  any  rooster  on  this  side  of  the  Atlantic." 

"While  I  would  take  sixteen  shillings,  still,  if  you  object  to  the 
price,  I  suppose  I  might  call  it  twelve  shillings — " 

The  Captain  turned  to  me  and  quietly  suggested  that  we  move  on, 
when  the  cab  driver  once  more  approached  my  friend. 

"  If  twelve  shillings  is  too  much,  guv'ner,  I  will  call  it  just  an 
even  ten  shillings." 

And  on  this  basis  the  carriage  was  hired. 

Upon  our  return  to  the  hotel,  the  Captain  remarked  to  me  that  he 
thought  that  if  he  had  held  out  he  might  have  hired  it  for  six  shill- 


OR,   TWO  YANKEES  IN   EUROPE.  263 

ings,  but  he  insisted  that  I  kept  interrupting  him  and  that  my 
presence  with  him  on  this  occasion  had  actually  cost  him  the  differ- 
ence between  six  and  ten  shillings  or,  in  other  words,  one  dollar. 

The  most  ancient  and  antique  city  in  all  Great  Britain  is  Chester, 
which  is  about  three-quarters  of  an  hour's  ride  from  Liverpool.  The 
city  is  beautifully  situated  on  an  elevated  bank  of  the  River  Dee,  and 
dates  its  origin  back  to  the  time  when  the  Romans  predominated  in 
Great  Britain.  The  city  is  completely  surrounded  by  a  wall,  two 
miles  in  circuit,  which  at  the  present  time  is  used  for  a  promenade, 
and  from  which  a  fine  view  can  be  obtained.  In  times  past  many 
remains  of  Roman  antiquities  have  been  dug  up  in  the  vicinity  of 
Chester.  One  of  these,  a  crypt,  is  located  under  the  establishment  of 
Roberts  &  Co.,  Watergate  street,  wine  merchants,  and  is  used  by 
them  as  a  wine  cellar.  The  date  of  the  crypt  is  about  1 180.  Another 
may  be  seen  under  the  establishment  of  Syrton  &  Grooms.  The 
town  is  really  a  novelty  from  the  fact  that  its  houses  are  angular  look- 
ing, with  sidewalks  for  foot  passengers  on  their  roofs.  These  are 
covered  with  galleries  for  the  purpose  of  protecting,  the  promenaders 
from  the  rain.  At  the  cross  streets  one  has  to  descend  and  ascend 
each  time.  The  road  or  street  is  sunk  several  feet  below  the  level. 
Everything  points  to  the  fact  that  Chester  was  a  city  of  no  small  im- 
portance as  far  back  as  the  Middle  Ages.  History  shows  that  with 
the  fall  of  the  Roman  Empire,  the  Roman  occupation  of  Britain  came 
to  a  close.  After  the  departure  of  the  legions  the  entire  country  once 
more  fell  into  a  state  of  semi-barbarism. 

Chester  was  a  coveted  spot,  as  it  seems  to  have  been  in  turn  occu- 
pied by  the  Roman-Britons,  the  Saxons  and  the  Danes,  the  latter 
retaining  occupation  only  for  a  brief  period ,  for  Chester  was  restored 
to  the  Saxons  by  the  valiant  Ethelfleda,  daughter  of  Alfred  the 
Great,  as  far  back  as  971.  Edgar  occupied  Chester  with  his  vic- 
torious army,  and  his  fleet  filled  the  river  in  the  vicinity  of  the  city. 
In  1255  the  Welsh,  under  their  prince,  Llewellyn,  made  an  irruption 
into  this  neighborhood,  carrying  fire  and  sword  to  the  very  gates  of 
the  city.  The  year  following,  Prince  Edward,  who  had  recently  been 
created  Earl  of  Chester,  paid  a  visit  to  the  city,  and  received  in  the 
castle  the  homage  of  the  nobles  of  Chester  and  part  of  Wales.  The 
historical  connections  of  the  city  are  indeed  interesting,  dating  back 
many  years,  and  would  make  a  volume.  Considering  the  long  oc- 
cupation of  Chester  by  the  Romans,  it  is  natural  to  expect  that  many 


•o     . 

g  I 

* 


•"-^        — 


o. 
>« 
H 


OR,   TWO  YANKEES  IN  EUROPE.  265 

important  remains  of  their  public  works  should  exist  even  to  the 
present  day.  In  the  museutn  and  other  places  are  to  be  seen  inter- 
esting relics  of  the  past. 

While  crossing  from  Liverpool  to  New  York,  there  were  quite  a 
number  of  people  who  were  seasick.  It  interested  the  Captain  to 
some  extent,  for  he  had  never  seen  anyone  in  this  condition  before. 
It  happened,  however,  he  got  in  conversation  with  a  doctor  and  asked 
him  what  was  the  cause  of  seasickness. 

"  Seasickness  is  a  disease  of  the  nerves,"  answered  the  doctor, 
"  and  is  generally  caused  by  the  nervous  system  being  out  of  order." 

The  Captain  looked  at  the  doctor  for  a  moment  and  then   replied  : 

"Well,  I'll  be  hanged  if  I  ever  knew  a  person's  nerves  were  in 
their  stomach." 

The  doctor  struck  me  for  a  box  of  cigars. 

The  most  interesting  place  to  visit  in  the  city  is  the  main  business 
thoroughfare,  where  will  be  found  the  elevated  sidewalks  as  described 
above  and  from  which  shops  and  stores  of  all  description  lead. 
Grosvenor  park  is  an  interesting  place  to  visit  and  contains  about 
twenty  acres.  A  walk  around  the  city  walls  of  about  two  miles  shows 
many  places  of  historical  interest  and  from  this  a  very  fine  view  of 
the  city  can  be  obtained.  These  walls  are  the  most  perfect  of  any- 
thing of  their  kind  that  I  came  across  in  my  entire  tour  of  England. 
Passing  along  above  the  Corn  Exchange  and  to  the  left,  so  close  that 
the  sounds  of  its  noble  organ  reach  the  ear,  stands  the  grand  old 
cathedral  of  St.  Werburgh.  Seen  from  this  point  on  the  walls,  it  is 
viewed  to  better  advantage  than  from  any  other  possible  point  in 
sight.  The  general  plan  and  disposition  of  the  cathedral  are  clearly 
to  be  made  out.  It  is,  like  the  generality  of  English  cathedrals,  a 
cruciform  structure,  comprising  a  nave,  choir  and  transepts,  with  a 
massive  tower  rising  at  the  crossing.  Still  further  on  we  come  to 
what  was  once  known  as  Newton's  Tower,  at  the  present  time  called 
riuenix.  It  is  now  a  sort  of  small  museum.  On  the  door  is  in- 
scribed a  tablet  with  this  announcement,  "King  Charles  stood  on 
this  tower  September  24,  1645,  and  saw  his  army  defeated  on 
Rowton  Moor."  It  is  said  that  the  date  is  a  mistake,  as  the  battle 
actually  took  place  on  September  27,  instead  of  September  24.  The 
Roodeye  or  Roodee,  near  the  Water  Tower,  is  an  interesting  place 
and  a  curious  legend  is  told  of  the  spot,  which  may  be  given  for  the 
benefit  of  such  as  have  a  taste  for  old  world  tales. 


Water  Tower  and  Walls,  Chester,  England. 


OR,    TWO   YANKEES   IN    EUROPE.  267 

While  making  the  walk  of  the  wall  of  old  Chester  the  Captain  was 
much  interested  in  the  same,  but  I  could  tell  by  his  nervous  condi- 
tion that  he  was  either  looking  for  or  expecting  something,  and  pres- 
ently turning  to  me,  he  said  : 

' '  How  far  have  we  got  to  continue  this  walk  ?  ' ' 

"  It  is  two  miles  around  the  old  city  walls,"  I  replied. 

"  How  far  have  we  gone?  "  asked  the  Captain. 

"  About  one  mile,"  was  my  reply. 

"  When  are  we  going  to  see  'em?  "  asked  the  Captain. 

"  See  whom  ?  "  I  replied. 

"  Why,  the  Romans?  "  was  the  answer. 

"  What  Romans  ?  "  I  asked. 

"  Didn't  you  tell  me  before  we  came  to  Chester  that  the  place  be- 
longed to  the  Romans,  and  here  I  have  come  all  this  distance  expect- 
ing to  see  them." 

Then,  as  I  leaned  over  the  wall,  I  was  undecided  whether  to  drop 
into  the  river  Dee  or  go  to  the  top  of  the  Water  Tower  and  end  my 
existence  from  that  point. 

The  story  goes  that  '  Once  upon  a  time  the  Christians  of  Hawarden, 
a  few  miles  down  the  river,  were  in  a  sad  strait  for  lack  of  rain. 
Now,  it  so  happened  that  in  the  church  of  that  place  there  stood  a 
cross  and  image  of  tb.3  Virgin  Mary,  called  Holy  Rood.  To  her  shrine 
then  repaired  the  faithful  and  fearful  of  all  classes  to  pray  for  rain. 
Among  the  rest  Lady  Trawst,  the  wife  of  the  governor  of  Hawarden, 
prayed  so  heartily  and  so  long,  that  the  image,  grown  desperate  we 
suppose,  fell  down  upon  the  lady  and  killed  her.  Mad  with  rage  at 
this  ill  answer  to  their  prayers,  a  jury  of  the  inhabitants  was  sum- 
moned, and  the  Holy  Rood  summarily  convicted  of  wilful  murder  and 
other  heinous  sins.  Fearful,  however,  of  the  consequence  if  they 
executed  the  offender,  the  jury  determined  to  lay  her  upon  the  beach 
at  low  water,  whence  the  next  tide  carried  her  away  to  the  spot 
where  she  was  found,  under  the  walls  of  Chester.  The  citizens  held 
a  post-mortem  examination,  and  seeing  that  she  was  Holy  Rood, 
decided  on  burying  her  where  she  was  found,  and  erected  over  her  a 
simple  stone  cross,  which,  tradition  says,  we  fear  this  time  not  very 
truthfully,  once  bore  an  inscription  to  the  following  effect  : 

"The  Jews  (.heir  God  did  crucify  ; 
The  Hardeners  theirs  did  drown, 
Because  their  wants  she'd  not  supply, 
And  she  lies  under  this  cold  stone." 


268  MY    FRIEND,    THE   CAPTAIN*  J 

While  returning  home  on  the  steamer  Majestic  the  Captain  was 
much  interested  in  knowing  the  number  of  people  that  this  great 
ocean  liner  was  capable  of  carrying,  and  made  inquiries  of  one  of  the 
officers,  and  was  informed  she  had  facilities  for  carrying  1800  souls, 
all  told. 

"In  case  of  accident,"  remarked  the  Captain,  "how  are  you 
prepared  ?  " 

"  We  have  boats  that  will  take  off  1400  people,"  was  the  reply. 

The  Captain  thought  for  a  moment,  and  then  added  : 

"  I  suppose  the  other  400  would  be  obliged  to  swim." 

And  if  I  had  not  been  taught  better  in  my  early  days  I  would  have 
gone  down  and  joined  one  of  the  poker  parties. 

Crossing  over  the  bridge  again  a  fine  view  is  obtained  of  the  Dee 
Mills,  a  massive  pile  of  gloomy  buildings,  resting  on  the  southwest 
end  of  the  old  bridge.  The  Dee  Mills  existed  on  this  very  spot 
shortly  after  the  Norman  Conquest,  and  were  for  centuries  a  source 
of  immense  revenue  to  their  owners,  the  Earls.  The  reader,  will,  no 
doubt,  remember  the  poem,  "  The  Miller  of  the  Dee, "  which  had  its 
origin  here.  Probably  the  finest  salmon  that  are  caught  in  England 
are  from  Chester,  and  the  River  Dee  furnishes  the  source  of  supply. 
This  is  quite  a  fishing  center  and  it  has  become  quite  an  industry  in 
this  section.  Passing  along  eastward,  the  visitor  comes  to  what  is 
known  as  the  Light  Suspension  Bridge,  erected  in  1852.  The  steps 
from  here  which  descend  from  the  walls  to  the  river  side  at  this  point 
are  known  as  the  "  Recorder  Steps." 

It  is  most  interesting  to  pass  along  what  is  known  as  the  "  Rows," 
or  elevated  sidewalks,  of  which  it  is  almost  impossible  to  trace  the 
origin.  Some  writers  attribute  it  to  the  Britons,  while" others  to  the 
time  of  the  Romans.  There  are  many  interesting  places  to  visit  in 
Chester,  including  the  Old  Cathedral  and  numerous  public  buildings, 
which  it  would  be  impossible  to  describe  here. 

After  we  got  ready  to  leave  our  hotel  at  Chester,  the  Captain  was 
handed  his  bill  and  he  repaired  to  the  smoking  room  to  look  it  over. 
During  this  time  I  was  busily  engaged  in  reading  a  newspaper,  and 
the  Captain  seemed  to  be  a  little  nervous.  I  noticed  that  he  got  up 
and  left  the  room  several  times,  going  into  the  office  and  returning 
again.  Present!}-  he  beckoned  for  me  to  come  over  and  sit  near  him, 
which  I  did. 


OR,  TWO  YANKEES  IN  EUROPE.  269 

"Look  here!"  said  the  Captain.  "My  bill  is  all  right  except 
one  item  and  I  have  been  trying  my  best  to  make  it  out." 

I  asked  him  what  it  was  and  the  item  in  question  read  as  follows  : 
"  Boots,  ss,"  which  translated  into  United  States  English,  meant 
the  services  of  a  bootblack,  fifty  cents. 

"  What  do  you  suppose  they  mean  by  charging  me  with  boots,  two 
shillings?"  asked  the  Captain. 

"  Well,1'  was  my  reply,  "  I  guess  it  is  correct.  Why  do  you  find 
fault  with  it  ?  ' 

"  Look  here,"  said  the  Captain.  "Did  you  ever  know  me  to 
buy  a  pair  of  fifty  cent  boots  ?  If  I  wanted  to  buy  a  pair  of  shoes 
over  here,  I  would  be  willing  to  pay  a  decent  price  for  them." 

When  I  had  explained  to  the  Captain  that  his  bill  was  correct  and 
what  it  was  for,  he  informed  me  that  the  next  time  he  bought  a 
package  of  cigarettes  he  would  ask  me  to  smoke  one. 

The  richest  man  in  all  England  is  said  to  be  the  Duke  of  West- 
minster, and  there  is  no  question  but  what  he  owns  one  of  the  finest 
estates  in  Great  Britain,  known  as  Eaton  Hall  and  located  in  Chester. 
This  palatial  mansion  with  its  grounds  is  open  to  the  public  ;  a 
nominal  admission  fee  of  is,  or  twenty-five  cents,  is  charged  for  ad- 
mission to  the  residence,  and  this  amount  is  donated  by  His  Grace  to 
charitable  purposes  in  Chester.  Eaton  Hall  is  reached  by  either  boat 
or  carriage  drive.  The  park  is  entered  through  Overleigh  Lodge 
gates,  and  from  there  to  the  residence  is  a  drive  of  about  three  miles 
through  a  magnificent  park. 

The  family  name  of  the  Duke  of  Westminster  is  Grosvenor,  which 
is  one  of  the  old  families  of  this  section.  Eaton  Hall,  as  it  stands 
today,  is  the  fourth  mansion  of  the  family.  The  present  buildings 
were  commenced  in  1867  by  His  Grace,  and  were  completed  some 
years  afterwards.  Arriving  at  Eaton  Hall  the  grand  courtyard  would 
probably  first  occupy  the  direct  attention  of  the  visitor.  It  is  en- 
closed by  fine  iron  work  of  the  seventeenth  century  workmanship, 
while  the  entrance  known  as  the  Golden  Gates,  which  belong  to  the 
hall,  as  it  stood  in  the  end  of  the  seventeenth  century,  is  flanked  by 
modern  iron  work,  made  to  accord  in  style.  From  the  Golden  Gates 
extend  a  noble  avenue  of  trees,  called  the  Belgrave  drive,  about  two 
miles  long.  In  the  courtyard  is  to  be  seen  the  colossal  equestrian 
statue  of  Hugh  Lupus,  the  nephew  and  valued  friend  of  William  the 
Conqueror  and  one  of  the  ancestors  of  the  Duke  of  Westminster. 


OR,   TWO  YANKEES  IN   EUROPE.  2'/2 

The  next  place  of  interest  is  the  stables,  which  are  well  worth  a 
visit.  They  are  fitted  up  in  the  most  perfect  manner,  regardless  of 
expense.  In  the  center  of  the  stable  yard  is  a  fine  work  by  the  late 
Sir  J.  E.  Boehm,  R.  A.,  representing  a  rearing  horse,  held  by  a 
groom.  On  the  other  side  of  the  yard  is  the  chapel  and  lofty  clock 
tower  ;  the  latter  is  175  feet  high.  The  interior  of  Eaton  Hall  is 
magnificent  throughout. 

The  first  place  we  enter  in  the  family  mansion  is  known  as  Central 
Hall,  which  is  used  on  state  occasions  as  a  sort  of  reception  room  ; 
from  this  we  enter  the  grand  salon,  the  ante  drawing  room,  the 
drawing  room,  and  the  library,  all  of  which  are  decorated  with  mag- 
nificent paintings,  statues,  etc.,  by  the  most  famous  artists.  From 
here  we  pass  to  the  grand  corridor,  where  are  two  magnificent  large 
oil  paintings,  one,  "The  Fathers  of  the  Church,"  and  the  other, 
"  The  Adoration  of  the  Magi,"  both  by  Rubens;  the  latter  faces  the 
grand  staircase.  Passing  from  here  we  go  to  the  ante  dining  room, 
which  from  an  architectural  standpoint  is  not  especially  worthy  of 
notice  ;  nevertheless,  it  is  almost  equal  to  a  grand  hall.  From  here 
we  enter  the  main  dining  room,  decorated  with  six  fine  paintings, 
which  adorn  the  walls,  all  by  masters.  The  gardens  and  conserva- 
tories are  planned  on  a  large  scale  and  mainly  extend  between  the 
eastern  facade  of  the  hall  and  the  River  Dee.  The  main  feature, 
directly  opposite  the  hall,  is  a  noble  terrace,  400  feet  in  length,  and 
from  this  the  gardens  descend  to  the  river. 

"  This  is  an  old  town,  isn  t  it?  "  I  remarked  to  the  Captain. 

"  Right  you  are,"  was  his  reply  ;  "  this  is  an  old  town." 

"  And  an  interesting  one,  too,"  I  added. 

"  Interesting  !"  replied  the  Captain  ;  "  I  don't  know  what  you  call 
interesting.  This  town  is  five  hundred  years  behind  the  times.  I 
haven't  seen  a  single  electric  car,  not  a  quick  lunch  counter,  or  a 
horseless  carriage  since  I  have  been  in  the  place.  Talk  about  your 
interesting  towns — " 

And  with  that  the  Captain  thought  he  spied  a  bag  of  peanuts  in  a 
store  near  by  and  made  a  dive  for  it,  but  unfortunately,  and  much  to 
his  disappointment,  it  turned  out  to  be  something  else. 

"  Are  you  going  to  Ha  warden?  "  remarked  a  gentleman  whom  I 
met  at  the  hotel  where  I  was  staying  in  Chester. 

"  Hawarden,"  I  answered,   "  where  is  Hawarden  ?  " 


Rt,  Hon.  William  E.  Gladstone. 

His  latest  and  best  picture.  At  the  ripht  is  his  little  granddaughter,  who 
happened  to  put  in  an  appearance  when  this  was  taken,  and  unknown  to  Mr. 
Gladstone. 


OR,    TWO   YANKEES   IN    EUROPE.  273 

"  Only  about  six  miles'  drive  from  the  very  spot  where  you  stand," 
was  his  reply. 

I  little  thought  I  was  within  so  short  a  distance  of  Wctles,  and  the 
home  of  that  grand  old  man,  William  E.  Gladstone.  Procuring  a 
carriage  we  drove  through  a  beautiful  section  of  Chester  and  about  a 
mile  and  a  half  from  our  starting  point  we  came  to  the  dividing  line 
between  England  and  Wales.  The  drive  from  Chester  to  Hawarden 
Castle  was  made  in  about  one  hour. 

This  is  an  old  town  and  dates  back  to  the  early  centuries.  In 
1337  Hawarden  passed  into  the  hands  of  the  Earl  of  Salisbury  and 
reverting  to  the  Crown,  was  granted  to  the  Duke  of  Clarence,  second 
son  of  Henry  IV.  In  1454  it  was  made  over  to  Sir  Thomas  Stanley, 
afterward  Lord  Stanley,  whose  son  became  the  first  Earl  of  Derby. 
Hawarden  remained  in  the  Stanley  family  for  over  200  years.  In  1653 
it  was  purchased  by  Sargeant,  afterwards  Chief  Justice,  Glynn.  At  the 
Restoration  a  determined  effort  was  made  to  recover  Hawarden  for 
the  Stanley  family  and  a  debate  took  place  on  the  question  in  the 
House  of  Lords.  The  purchase,  however,  was  confirmed  and  Hawarden 
remained  in  the  Glynn  family  until  the  death  of  the  last  baronet,  Sir 
Stephen  Glynn,  in  1874.  The  lordship  of  the  manor  then  passed  by 
a  family  arrangement  to  Mr.  Gladstone's  eldest  son.  Twice  Hawarden 
has  been  visited  by  English  sovereigns.  In  1495  King  Henry  VII. 
stayed  there  ostensibly  for  stag  hunting,  and  Charles,  when  a  fugitive, 
took  refuge  herein  1645.  This,  of  course,  was  in  the  old  or  ancient 
castle,  of  which  mention  will  be  made  later  on. 

Arriving  at  the  outer  gate  or  lodge  of  the  castle  grounds,  a  drive 
of  about  ten  miles  through  a  lovely  grove  and  what  might  be  termed 
a  natural  park,  brings  us  to  what  is  known  as  the  Modern  Castle,  and 
as  much  as  the  Old  Castle  may  interest  the  architectural  visitor,  the 
general  visitor  will  find  his  interest  centered  in  the  modern  one,  the 
residence  of  Mr.  Gladstone.  The  Modern  Castle  was  originally  a  red 
brick,  square  house  of  no  considerable  size.  This  was  built  toward 
the  middle  of  the  eighteenth  century  by  Sir  John  Glynn,  who  left 
Oxfordshire,  where  he  had  hitherto  resided,  and  lived  at  Hawarden. 
Subsequently  at  different  dates  additions  were  made.  The  brick  walls 
were  faced  with  the  stone  of  the  district ;  additional  wings  were 
added,  four  turrets  built,  and  the  entire  building  was  castellated.  The 
whole  work  was  carried  out  with  a  certain  unity  of  design  which  has 
rendered  the  architecture  pleasing,  though  unusual. 


I 


1 

O 


a 

o 

1 


OR,   TWO  YANKEES  IN  EUROPE.  275 

The  interior,  as  usually  happens  in  the  case  of  country  houses 
which  have  been  added  to  at  different  periods,  is  roomy  and  comfort- 
able. In  the  last  twenty-three  years  three  additions  have  been  made. 
Mr.  Gladstone's  home  is  not  in  any  sense  a  "  show  house  "  and  it  has 
been  found  absolutely  necessary  to  adhere  to  a  rule  against  the  admis- 
sion of  strangers  on  account  of  the  great  number  of  applications 
received.  The  rooms  are  spacious  and  numerous,  but  they  are  not  on 
the  scale  of  the  great  country  houses,  nor  are  the  pictures  and  objects 
of  art  sufficient  to  form  an  attraction  in  themselves. 

Probably  the  most  interesting  apartment  in  the  mansion  may  be 
said  to  be  Mr.  Gladstone's  study,  or  as  that  gentleman  appropriately 
terms  it,  "The  Temple  of  Peace."  Herewith  is  presented  an  illus- 
tration, which  is  an  excellent  one,  of  the  exterior  of  Ha  warden  Castle  ; 
also  a  photograph  of  Mr.  Gladstone  himself,  being  the  latest  and 
most  accurate  one  taken.  In  this  photograph,  at  the  right,  will  be 
noticed  his  little  granddaughter,  who  happened  to  appear  on  the  sqene 
just  as  the  photograph  was  being  taken.  There  is  also  shown  here- 
with an  illustration  of  the  "  Keep,"  which  is  a  part  of  the  ruins  of 
the  old  castle  at  Ha  warden,  and  adjoins  that  of  the  new  or  modern 
castle. 

The  ancient  castle  of  Hawarden  is  placed  on  a  somewhat  lofty 
eminence,  on  the  south  side  of  which  is  a  deep  ravine,  which  formed 
a  great  protection  to  the  cast'e  on  that  side.  The  exact  date  of  the 
erection  of  this  castle  is  undecided,  but  it  seems  almost  certain  it  was 
founded  during  the  reign  of  Henry  III.  and  probably  added  to  and 
completed  in  the  reign  of  Kdward  I. 

At  the  back  of  the  old  castle  is  a  narrow  entrance  called  Leopold's 
door,  commemorating  a  visit  in  1819  of  the  late  King  of  the  Belgians. 

The  leading  points  of  the  history  of  the  castle  may  be  very  briefly 
touched  upon.  In  the  year  1264  it  was  the  scene  of  the  memorable 
conference  between  Simon  de  Montfort,  Earl  of  Leicester,  ainl  L,lyw- 
elyn,  Prince  of  North  Wales,  in  which  the  compact  of  mutual  support 
and  co-operation  was  entered  into.  The  result  of  this  was  that  the 
King,  who  was  the  Earl's  prisoner,  was  forced  to  renounce  his  rights 
and  claims  and  Llywelyn  became  possessor  of  the  castle.  On  the  col- 
lapse of  Simon  de  Montfort's  rebellion,  the  castle  was  claimed  by  the 
Crown  and  Llywelyn  called  upon  to  surrender  it.  There  was,  how- 
ever, a  fight  over  the  old  castle  for  many  years,  but  the  matter  was 


3 

TJ 

o 


I 


OR,   TWO  YANKEES  IN  EUROPE.  277 

finally  settled.  The  Keep,  or  donjon,  of  the  castle,  as  shown  in  the 
illustration  above  mentioned,  is  circular,  sixty-one  feet  in  diameter. 
At  its  base  the  walls  are  about  fifteen  feet  thick,  whilst  it  is  tapered  to 
about  thirteen  feet  at  the  rampart  line.  It  is  an  interesting  old  place 
to  visit,  and  is  open  on  certain  days  of  the  week  to  the  public  on  pay- 
ment of  a  small  fee. 

Hawarden  Park  comprises  about  two  hundred  and  fifty  acres  and 
is  a  fine  old  estate.  Driving  in  at  the  right  one  can  make  a  tour  of 
the  place  and  come  out  in  front  of  what  is  known  as  the  old  Hawarden 
village  and  the  parish  church,  where  the  Gladstone  family  attend 
service.  Just  inside  the  park  is  the  walk  used  by  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Glad- 
stone, about  one  mile  and  a  quarter  in  length,  over  which  they  pass 
from  their  residence  to  their  church  every  morning.  This  church  is 
supposed  to  have  been  built  in  1275,  and  has  much  solidity  and  dignity 
of  structure.  The  rector  is  Rev.  S.  E.  Gladstone,  who  is  a  son  of  Mr. 
Gladstone.  He  has  a  staff  of  six  curates,  and  has  the  responsibility 
of  five  additional  churches  and  school  chapals.  Until  recently  Mr. 
Gladstone  read  the  lessons  every  morning  in  the  church,  but  within 
the  past  year  has  given  up  this  work. 

After  finishing  our  tour  of  Hawarden,  and  upon  returning  home, 
the  Captain  turned  to  me  and  remarked  that  he  was  well  satisfied 
with  his  morning's  trip. 

"  Yes,''  I  remarked,  "it  is  very  interesting  to  visit  the  home  of 
Mr.  Gladstone.'' 

"Yes,"  said  the  Captain,  "  you  are  right.  I  suppose  he  has  done 
more  for  mankind  and  womankind  than  any  other  living  person." 

This  remark  rather  puzzled  me  for  an  instant,  and  fearing  that  the 
Captain  might  be  laboring  under  a  misapprehension,  I  asked  him  what 
he  referred  to. 

"  Why,"  was  his  reply,  "  to  Gladstone's  invention." 

"  To  his  invention,"  I  replied,   '•  what  did  Gladstone  invent  ?" 

"Why  he  is  the  man -that  got  up  the  Gladstone  bag,'  said  the 
Captain,  as  he  actually  sneered  at  me. 

And  just  at  this  moment  the  horses  reared  up,  and  the  driver  could 
hardly  control  them,  but  I  sat  calmly  in  the  carriage,  not  caring  much 
whether  we  ever  reached  our  destination. 

From  Hawarden  the  drive  was  made  back  to  Chester,  and  late  in 
the  afternoon  we  took  the  train  for  Liverpool,  wlrere  we  were  to 
embark  for  home. 


278  MY  FRIEND,   THE  CAPTAIN; 

It  was  a  beautiful  September  morning,  the  gray  dawn  was  just  visi- 
ble, yet  the  lights  from  the  distant  shores  were  distinguished,  as  the 
good  ship  Majestic  pulled  off  Sandy  Hook.  The  Captain  and  myself 
were  early  on  deck.  We  had  been  roaming  foreign  shores  for  four 
months,  and  we  longed  for  a  glimpse  of  our  own  native  land. 

"  Look  yonder,  Captain,''  I  remarked.  "You  see  those  lights  in 
the  distance?" 

"  Yes,"  was  the  reply. 

"  That  is  New  York,"  I  added,  and  just  then  the  Captain  glanced 
upward  and  saw  the  emblem  of  the  greatest  nation  on  earth  floating 
in  the  autumn  breezes. 

"  Hats  off,"  shouted  the  Captain,  as  he  uncovered  his  head. 

"What  for?"  I  asked. 

"  To  the  Star  Spangled  Banner,"  was  his  reply.  And  two  Yankees 
stood  on  the  deck  of  the  steamer  that  early  morn  with  their  heads 
uncovered. 


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